An American NGO warned on Wednesday against the dangers linked to "neurotechnologies" for the general public, that is to say the marketing of devices capable of recording brain activity, or even influencing it, without sufficient safeguards for consumers.
Following his recommendations, Colorado has just enacted a law to protect the confidentiality of “neural data”. “This is a first for an American state, and in the world in general,” said Jared Genser, co-founder of Neurorights Foundation, during a press conference on Wednesday.
Data collection worries researchers
They are capable of collecting ultra-personal data, and analyzing it in an application to inform the user about their performance, but also to influence behavior.
“Your thoughts, your memories, your imagination, your emotions, your behavior and your subconscious happen in the brain,” said neurobiologist Rafael Yuste, president of the Neurorights Foundation and director of the Neurotechnology Center at Columbia University.
The study published Wednesday by the NGO shows that the main companies concerned, little-known start-ups, collect this ultra-private data without limiting themselves to that which they need for their product. And since these objects are not approved by health authorities, they escape medical device laws. “Even more worrying, the majority of these companies also allow themselves to share neural data with unspecified third parties,” specifies the NGO.
Long-term dangers
“Sooner or later, a company will sell magnetic stimulators to improve memory. This will be the second wave of neurotechnologies marketed to the general public, which will make it possible to manipulate brain activity,” explained Rafael Yuste.
“And it’s not science fiction,” he insisted, referring to laboratory experiments, where researchers have succeeded in decoding human thoughts. The science behind it is advancing rapidly, thanks to neural implants that go as close as possible to signals, and thanks to generative artificial intelligence, which helps translate those signals.
The devices currently on the market are aimed at a still small audience, but technology giants, like Meta and Apple, could significantly expand this market, potentially to millions of people.
“Apple recently filed a patent application to attach electroencephalography sensors (measuring the electrical activity of the brain) to the next generation of AirPods (wireless earphones),” notes Jared Genser.