What happens when technology learns to read our minds?

Advancements in neurotechnology could be at a turning point, but the new technology threatens to breach even the privacy of our brains. Looking at a recent case on this issue in the Supreme Court in Chile, Sydney Law School research addresses the need for Australia to protect our human rights and to reconsider many areas of law. Neurotech law expert Dr Allan McCay from the Sydney Law School said, "we are witnessing a time where neurotechnology is already starting to address neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy, and it may start to become a useful response to other conditions including stroke, dementia, or even various forms of mental illness." "But while the advances could tackle these conditions and perhaps change the way live and work, more focus is needed on the question of how the law should protect the integrity of our brain and minds, and there should also be more consideration of the broader legal implications of this emerging technology." The Law Society of England and Wales recently published Dr McCay's report, Neurotechnology, law and the legal profession: Recent developments , where he argues that while the potential of neuroscience to improve lives is enormous, the level of intrusion needed to realise these benefits is profound. Dr McCay said there needs to be more discussion about what happens as these capabilities move from medicine into a less regulated commercial world. There needs to be more debate about the legal implications of neurotechnology, including a discussion of human rights.