The Veil

Not to be confused with The Veil (Tabletop RPG)
The Veil, also referred to as The Dream, is the combination of a ubiquitous mesh network and a cybernetic chip implanted in nearly every person in the galaxy. The mesh network interfaces with instantaneous transmission nexuses that facilitate faster-than-light communication. The cybernetic implant, just referred to as The Chip, imposes an augmented reality audio-visual overlay on the real world and provides access to full-immersion virtual reality.

The Chip is implanted in nearly 100% of the population with access to technology. It can be installed safely in humans as young as two years old; studies show that people with more mastery of its use tend to have gotten the Chip earlier.