Protecting human rights in neurotechnology
Rapid advances in neurotechnology raise urgent questions about privacy, ethics, and human rights, highlighting the need for safeguards that protect vulnerable individuals and personal freedoms.
The Australian Human Rights Commission has called for neurotechnology to be developed with strong human rights protections and legal safeguards for neural data. Its report, ‘Peace of Mind: Navigating the ethical frontiers of neurotechnology and human rights’, warns that such technologies could expose sensitive brain data and increase risks of surveillance, discrimination, and violations of freedom of thought.
Innovations in neurotechnology, including brain-computer interfaces that help people with paralysis communicate and wearable devices that monitor workplace fatigue, offer significant benefits but also present profound ethical challenges. Commissioner Lorraine Finlay stressed that protecting privacy and human dignity must remain central to technological progress.
The report urges the government, industry, and civil society in Australia to ensure informed consent, ban neuromarketing targeting children, prohibit coercive workplace applications, and legally review military uses. A specialist agency is recommended to enforce safety standards, prioritising the rights and best interests of children, older people, and individuals with disabilities.
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