Could your brain data be used against you? UN calls for limits on neurotechnology

Brain signals recorded by a gaming headset or a wellness gadget could one day be used as evidence against you in court, according to a new UN report which warns that neurotechnology is outpacing the laws meant to protect human rights.Presenting the Secretary-General’s report to the General Assembly on Thursday, senior human rights official Claudia Fuentes Julio said the technology could threaten privacy, freedom of thought and the right to a fair trial, particularly for marginalised people.Key pointsThe new reportexamines the growing use of neurotechnology in justice systems and the risks arising from its convergence with artificial intelligence (AI)Data collected through gaming or wellness devices, for instance, could be used in a court of law, impacting fundamental human rights, including the right to a fair trialThe report calls for prohibiting coercive and abusive applications of neurotechnology and establishing stronger legal and ethical safeguardsWhen high-tech meets the lawNeurotechnology was once exclusively used for medical diagnoses or treatment, measuring, monitoring, analysing, predicting or modulating the nervous system.The new tech gathers neural data – defined as qua...