Era of Neurorights Coming...

An intriguing global event concerning Brain Machine Interface (#BMI), a field I've touched on several times, recently took place.

This international conference, held mid-July in Paris and sponsored by #UNESCO, tackled the topic of individual rights vis-a-vis mind-reading technology.

This neurotechnology industry, experiencing an investment increase of 22 times between 2010 and 2020 and now a staggering $33 billion sector, also saw an exponential rise in related patent applications.

The primary focus, however, was the protection of neural data. In a study involving 18 companies that offer devices or services associated with individual neural data, it was revealed that 17 of them retain the rights to share data with third parties under contract. This scenario seems akin to recent cookie regulation trends, affecting tech giants heavily reliant on advertising revenues.

Adding intrigue to the Paris conference was the emergence of the term "neurorights."

It encompasses five rights:

protection of mental privacy, protection from personality-altering manipulations, preservation of free will and decision-making, fair access to mental enhancement, and protection from biases in central neurotechnology algorithms.

The propositions indicate a new step forward in data privacy.

In fact, UNESCO, known for its #AI guidelines, seems to be moving in a similar direction for BMI. The outcome of a November vote on these proposed guidelines might draw further global attention.

With advancing technology, it may be time for a reevaluation of the concept of personal data.