German Report Explores Privacy Protections for Neurotechnologies
Privacy regulators should begin tackling neurotechnology issues now as the devices, which establish direct computer or AI connections with human brains, move into the mass market, the International Working Group on Data Protection in Technology said. It published a working paper on data protection in connection with neurotechnologies.
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The organization, known as The Berlin Group, said the paper focuses on, among other things, consequences of technology directly linked to the human brain.
The paper pays particular attention to the concept of consent and protection of children and young people. It includes recommendations for legislators, regulators and developers.
Recommendations for regulators include looking closely at the fundamental intersection of the human right to dignity and the uses of neurotechnology to better understand how and when these might be compatible.
In addition, regulators should acknowledge that some data protection regimes are putting an increased emphasis on consent as the key mechanism for using neurodata and explore what challenges that might create in a global context.
The group also called for regulators to define key legal and conceptual terms that intersect with data protection and privacy concerns, such as mental identity and integrity. Moreover, it urged authorities to explore future definitions of high and unacceptable risk uses, "taking inspiration from the approach established by the EU AI Act."