Produced by the Blume Corporation, CTOS, or Central Operating System, controls Chicago. The system is the fundamental weakness of the city, as it can be hacked into through the use of a chain of backdoor viruses and used as a weapon against the city and its inhabitants. The CTOS also stores information on each inhabitant of the city in control centers and gathers new information with the help of surveillance. Various control centers (data servers) are dotted around Chicago, which can be taken control of, along with CTOS towers, allowing Aiden to access the information it stores and the mechanisms it controls. Various communication sites are placed between the centers, allowing for quick transfer of data over large distances. Though CTOS has reduced and is still reducing the overall crime levels of Chicago, that doesn't mean that the city is as protected as Blume says it is. CTOS is tied to a satellite which acts as a safety valve which can shut down the entire system if necessary.
Controversy
One question that is frequently asked about the CTOS is: Who controls the system that controls Chicago? One negative that has been noted about the CTOS is that large businesses could use the data stored by CTOS to maximize profits. It has also been noted that control of the system could fall into the wrong hands, like those of hackers such as Aiden Pearce, Damien Brenks,T-Bone, and Defalt.
The fact that control of CTOS could fall into the wrong hands has clearly been brought to the public's attention by a hacking collective known as DedSec. The collective hacks into the system and misappropriates its abilities to use it for its own purposes, such as invasions of privacy or data collection, simultaneously emphasizing CTOS's great power and security flaws.
Systems controlled by the CTOS
Blockers and Road Spikes
Bridge Access
Electric Grid
Lights / Traffic Lights
The L Train
Underground and above-ground steam pipes
Crime Prediction System
Security Cameras
ATMs / Bank Accounts
TVs and Video Adverts
Citizens' Private Information
Cellular communications
Internet-connected devices
Facial Recognition
Power Transformers
Light Houses
Trivia
CTOS was upgraded to CTOS 2.0 with assumed upgraded security features after Aiden Pearce rebooted it.
CTOS was also said to be introduced to other cities.
The upgrade may also lead to a sequel game.
The ctOS is mentioned in an Easter Egg in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.
Taking the fact that Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs are (Probably) in the same universe, ctOS might be controlled by the Templars.
It is actually pretty rare to see ctOS vehicles after you completed all the district access missions.
