History Main / OffTheGrid

** Certain organizations (jokingly called [='SINdicates'=] InUniverse) specialize in forging fake [=SINs=] and are even able to purge legitimate [=SINs=] from the global databanks, allowing people to go on- and off the grid as needed. The [='SINdicates'=] charge a mint for their services, however, meaning that only professional criminals (including [[PlayerCharacter Shadowrunners]]) can afford their services. Needless to say, while a fake SIN can be purged relatively easily, being caught using one can go extremely badly.

When a character deliberately adopts a lifestyle that keeps them underground and off the radar of someone who could be looking for them, such as the government, the BigBad, the NebulousEvilOrganization, etc. Alternatively, it could be a lifestyle they've either decided to live by choice or had forced upon them by circumstances.

* ''Film/{{Anon}}'': The title character is a woman living in an incredibly intrusive world where all memory is part of a global network, having erased her own identity and past so she could wander the world incognito and work as a freelance memory hacker.

* In some of the ''Film/TheTerminator'' spin-off comics, Sarah and John Connor are depicted as living off the grid and trying to avoid leaving any kind of paper trail that Skynet could use to figure out where they've been and send a Terminator to that location. In one comic, John forgets himself long enough to sign for something at a shopping mall, and a Terminator immediately appears to attack him.

* ''Film/TheBourneSeries'': After abandoning Treadstone, Jason Bourne goes off the grid and lives a very low-key life. He only uses computers in public establishments like libraries and internet cafes, uses basic cellphones ([[TechnologyMarchesOn though the first 3 films came out before smartphones took off in popularity]]), and travels by boat instead of planes or trains because they're less likely to be monitored. As WordOfGod puts it, Bourne isn't just on the run from the CIA, but also the heavily interconnected world of the 21st century.

* In the penultimate episode of ''Series/BreakingBad'', Walter White retreats to a isolated cabin in the mountains of New Hampshire with no Internet, cable TV, or phone lines in an effort to hide from law enforcement after his meth empire falls apart.

* {{Series/Underbelly}}: antagonist Anthony Perish has not appeared in a government or major private-sector database for decades, having been on the run from a minor drugs charge whilst building a nationwide empire, and is entirely off police radar until the events of the series.

Can by either PlayedForDrama or PlayedForLaughs. When played straight, the drawbacks are emphasized, such as not being able to make friends or form attachments due to moving around all the time, being unable to contact family, not getting health care due to not having insurance, etc.

* ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'': Katsura lives like this due to being a rebel pursued by law enforcement, taking on multiple disguises, pseudonyms and isn't shown to have a permanent home. Subverted since he just as usually blows his cover by his constant need to have his name said correctly among other idiocies.

* ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'': Doctor Banner is trying to do this, keeping a low profile in a South America and using his medical skills to help the local population, either as charity or accepting whatever someone can afford to pay in return. He does mutter that he should have "gotten paid first" when the little girl, who Natasha used to lure him out with a fake story about someone being sick, slips away before Natasha reveals herself. Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. does know where he is. It's hard to keep a low profile when your alter ego doesn't give a damn about such things...

* In the novel ''Literature/{{Lightning}}'' the antagonists are time-traveling Nazis from the 1940s who developed time travel, but they can only travel to the future. They use it to bring back futuristic weapons to their era to give the Germans an unbeatable advantage. In one part, the woman who's figured out what's going on is trying to determine how to escape the Nazis in a way where they won't be able to travel to the future, find out where she was, then travel to that time to kill her. It's up to her genre-savvy, sci-fi addicted son to figure how to move around without leaving any trace to betray them in the future.

* In the novel ''Franchise/StarTrek'' [[Literature/StarTrekNovelVerse novel]] "[[Literature/StarTrekExMachina Ex Machina]]", which was set shortly after ''[[Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture The Motion Picture]]'', prior to the V'ger crisis Dr. [=McCoy=] had returned to Earth and was living largely off the grid in a mountain cabin [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive until Admiral Nogura's agents found him and brought him back to headquarters]] to reactivate his commission at Admiral Kirk's request. .

* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'': Doctor David Banner is believed to be dead and wants people to think that that's the case. He wanders from job to job, city to city, without any real ID or home and avoiding a particularly determined reporter-- who isn't following him, but rather the creature he turns into...

** PlayedForLaughs regarding Ron. He does have a regular job, draws a paycheck, owns property (but hates giving out the address), invests in the stock market (at Ben's insistence), but does occasionally invoke this trope. He threw his computer in the dumpster after finding out about targeted ads and Google Maps. In one episode, he attempts to go off the grid entirely, buying a trailer in cash and throwing out his cell phone. This earns him a WhatTheHellHero from his wife, who points out that, as a husband and father, he has to be reachable. He compromises by getting a cheap flip-phone and only giving the number to his immediate family.
** In another episode, Ron's response to his draconian ex-wife Tammy One showing up is to grab an emergency kit he has prepared, taking all of his accumulated vacation days, and hiding out in his cabin in the woods for a few weeks. When she finds out that she has to choose between her dream job and her boyfriend, Leslie joins him. They stay for a couple days, before realizing they have to face their problems head-on.

** Once the Machine's EvilCounterpart Samaritan goes on line, much of the drama involves staying out of sight of the all-seeing AI while still protecting the Numbers.

** Back when Earl and Joy were married, they would sometimes, being poor and (apart from Earl taking a few short-lived odd-jobs here and there) almost perpetually unemployed, find that the bill collectors would sometimes get to be too much. When that happened, they would go to their "vacation home," an abandoned RV in the woods, until either the heat was off or they somehow got money to pay the bills.

** In another episode, a man named Raynard adopted this lifestyle when he got evicted from his apartment and Earl turned him away because of Joy's pregnancy-amplified mood swings. He lived in an abandoned bookmobile that he and Earl [[ItMakesSenseInContext stole for the purpose of getting girls to sleep with them]]. He ate some bad berries, that caused him to hallucinate, and also to believe that he had a beautiful wife ([[{{Squick}} actually a raccoon]]). Earl decides to help Raynard get back into normal (well, for Camden) society, but all that does is get [[CloudCuckoolander Raynard]] locked in a mental asylum. Earl concedes that maybe Raynard just isn't meant for mainstream society, gives him proper camping supplies, and returns him to the woods.

** ''TabletopGame/DeviantTheRenegades'' makes this a large part of its central theme, as every Deviant is caught circling the drain in the ConspiracyKitchenSink. Renegades hiding from the organization that would rather like their supersoldier back have challenges even by World of Darkness standards, every interaction with the human world or unfortunate moment of PowerIncontinence a chance that they provide a lead to their own conspiracy, or attract the attention of another. Further complicating the situation is the option to become a Devoted- a Deviant who collaborates with a Conspiracy in exchange for access to the grid (or a decent substitute)... if they can hold onto their autonomy and sanity despite said compromise, and live with what they have to do for the perks.

** So-called [=SINless=] (those lacking in a System Identification Number, or SIN) live off the grid by default. Much like a RealLife ID or social security number, a SIN is required for practically every above-the-board contract, including employment, apartments, bank accounts, licenses, and more, meaning that the vast majority of [=SINless=] live in abject poverty as an abused underclass who tend to depend on criminal- or quasi-criminal enterprises for survival, and require the use of [[BriefcaseFullOfMoney certified credsticks]] for money transfers since they cannot get banking services legally. Worse, [[BigBrotherIsWatching the surveillance state is everywhere]] in ''Shadowrun'', and certain areas require people's [=PDAs=] or commlinks to be broadcasting the wearer's SIN to specialized equipment, and being [=SINless=] in these areas is a crime. On the flip side, [=SINners=] (those with a SIN, whether issued by a nation or a MegaCorp) find going off-grid extremely difficult, as SIN databases are also able to cross-reference vast amount of personal information, including recent appearance from the last time a camera connected to a SIN reader, got a look at you, DNA samples from your last doctor's visit, and purchase history from your credit card.
** Certain organizations (jokingly called [='SINdicates'=] InUniverse) specialize in forging fake [=SINs=] and are even able to purge legitimate [=SINs=] from the global databanks, allowing people to go on- and off the grid as needed. The [='SINdicates'=] charge a mint for their services however, meaning that only professional criminals (including [[PlayerCharacter Shadowrunners]]) can afford their services. Needless to say, while a fake SIN can be purged relatively easily, being caught using one can go extremely badly.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' features a VR game called ''Roy'', where the player takes control of a person named Roy and [[YearInsideHourOutside live his entire life out in a matter of minutes]]. After Morty's rather uneventful playthrough, Rick decides to show him up by taking Roy off the grid, which attracts a crowd of amazed onlookers.

* In the novel ''Franchise/StarTrek'' [[Literature/StarTrekNovelVerse novel]] "[[Literature/StarTrekExMachina Ex Machina]]", which was set shortly after ''[[Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture The Motion Picture]]'', Dr. [=McCoy=] had returned to Earth and was living largely off the grid in a mountain cabin [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive until Admiral Nogura's agents found him and brought him back to headquarters]].

* ''Film/{{Red}}'': Marvin Boggs lives off the grid in a state of [[ProperlyParanoid mild paranoia]] about black helicopters. Of course in this case it's fully justified.

* ''TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated'' has the Prometheans usually forced into this by the nature of their creation and Torment. While they can be around normal humans for short periods of time, the longer a Promethean remains in an area, the more likely it is to become hostile to them by becoming a literal Wasteland, or worse, Firestorm. Most Prometheans chose to limit their contact with others so they don't attract attention to their unnatural existence and cause further problems for themselves.

* ''Series/PersonOfInterest''
** After helping bring the Machine into being, Alicia Corwin becomes so paranoid about the God-like ArtificialIntelligence they've created to [[BigBrotherIsWatchingYou hack into every system]] that she moves to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Bank,_West_Virginia Green Bank]], a small town in West Virginia that doesn't have cell phones or wireless internet.
** Once the Machine's EvilCounterpart Samaritan goes on line, much of the drama involves staying out of sight of the all-seeing AI while still protecting the Numbers.

* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk'': Doctor David Banner is believed to be dead and wants people to think that that's the case. He wanders from job to job, city to city, without any real ID or home and avoiding a particularly determined reporter-- who isn't following him, but rather the creature he turns into...

** In one world where Flash Thompson got the spider powers instead of Peter, he was so intoxicated by his new strength and eager to show off for the crowd that he killed Crusher Hogan in the ring by accidentally breaking his neck. Horrified, he escaped from the police who tried to arrest him, then realized he couldn't go home because an entire arena full of people saw what he did. Resignedly telling himself that since he made his bed, he had to sleep in it, he broke into a store, created a makeshift costume, and lived underground in New York City as the superhero Captain Spider, fighting crime to make up for what he'd done.

* ''Film/{{Red}}'': Marvin Boggs lives off the grid in a state of [[ProperlyParanoid mild paranoia]] about black helicopters. Of course in this case its fully justified.

* In the novel ''Literature/{{Lightning}}'' the antagonists are time-traveling Nazis from the 1940's who developed time travel, but they can only travel to the future. They use it to bring back futuristic weapons to their era to give the Germans an unbeatable advantage. In one part, the woman who's figured out what's going on is trying to determine how to escape the Nazis in a way where they won't be able to travel to the future, find out where she was, then travel to that time to kill her. It's up to her genre-savvy, sci-fi addicted son to figure how to move around without leaving any trace to betray them in the future.
* ''Literature/RepairmanJack'' has lived this trope since he was of legal age. He doesn't want to be just another cog in the machinery of society and avoids anything that could lead to that. He doesn't even have a social security number. He pays cash for everything and uses prepaid phones that can easily be discarded. He can't buy stocks or bonds or mutual funds to invest his money, so he pays cash for gold coins and stashes them as a retirement fund. His customers have to pay him in cash. As the series is long running, it's shown how he adapts to evolving technology. He used to rent an office where the only thing in it was an answering machine where clients could call him, he's since ditched it and has all calls go to voicemail. He used to have multiple post office boxes that he would check regularly, now he just uses email.

** Earl recalls how he robbed a stoner of all of his things during a HeatWave, and needs to make up for it. He goes to find Woody (the stoner he robbed), only to find that Woody is now living in a hippie {{Commune}}. The members stay there, grow their own crops, raise livestock for milk and wool, often make their own clothes, make their own wine, gather firewood to run an outdoor shower, and live without electricity or running water, for the sake of the environment.

** In another episode, a man named Raynard adopted this lifestyle when he got evicted from his apartment and Earl turned him away because of Joy's pregnancy-amplified mood swings. He lived in a an abandoned bookmobile that he and Earl [[ItMakesSenseInContext stole for the purpose of getting girls to sleep with them]]. He ate some bad berries, that caused him to hallucinate, and also to believe that he had a beautiful wife ([[{{Squick}} actually a raccoon]]). Earl decide to help Raynard get back into normal (well, for Camden) society, but all that does is get [[CloudCuckoolander Raynard]] locked in a mental asylum. Earl concedes that maybe Raynard just isn't meant for mainstream society, gives him proper camping supplies, and returns him to the woods.

* {{Series/Underbelly}}: antagonist Anthony Perish has not appeared in a government or major private sector database for decades, having been on the run from a minor drugs charge whilst building a nationwide empire, and is entirely off police radar until the events of the series.

** So-called [=SINless=] (those lacking in a System Identification Number, or SIN) live off the grid by default. Much like a RealLife ID or social security number, a SIN is required for practically every above-the-board contract, including employment, apartments, bank accounts, licenses, and more, meaning that the vast majority of [=SINless=] live in abject poverty as an abused underclass who tend to depend on criminal- or quasi-criminal enterprises for survival, and require the use of [[BriefcaseFullOfMoney certified credsticks]] for money transfers since they cannot get banking services legally. Worse, [[BigBrotherIsWatching the surveillance state is everywhere]] in ''Shadowrun'', and certain areas require people's [=PDAs=] or commlinks to be broadcasting the wearer's SIN to specialized equipment, and being [=SINless=] in these areas is a crime. On the flip side, [=SINners=] (those with a SIN, whether issued by a nation or a MegaCorp) find going off-grid extremely difficult, as SIN databases are also able to cross-reference vast amount of personal information, including recent appearance from the last time a camera connected to a SIN reader got a look at you, DNA samples from your last doctor's visit, and purchase history from your credit card.

* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange2'': Daniel and Sean end up doing this after going on the run when their father's killed in a PoliceBrutality incident. Sean eventually goes off the grid completely by discarding his phone on the advice of a blogger, and supporting himself and Daniel by questionable means.

* In ''Series/Underbelly'', antagonist Anthony Perish has not appeared in a government or major private sector database for decades, having been on the run from a minor drugs charge whilst building a nationwide empire, and is entirely off police radar until the events of the series.