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Nita Farahany: When technology can read minds, how will we protect our privacy?
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Tech that can decode your brain activity and reveal what you're thinking and feeling is on the horizon, says legal scholar and ethicist Nita Farahany. What will it mean for our already violated sense of privacy? In a cautionary talk, Farahany warns of a society where people are arrested for merely thinking about committing a crime (like in "Minority Report") and private interests sell our brain data -- and makes the case for a right to cognitive liberty that protects our freedom of thought and self-determination.
Nita Farahany - Legal scholar, ethicist
Nita A. Farahany is a leading scholar on the ethical, legal, and social implications of biosciences and emerging technologies, particularly those related to neuroscience and behavioral genetics. Full bio
Nita A. Farahany is a leading scholar on the ethical, legal, and social implications of biosciences and emerging technologies, particularly those related to neuroscience and behavioral genetics. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
In the months following
the 2009 presidential election in Iran,
the 2009 presidential election in Iran,
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protests erupted across the country.
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The Iranian government
violently suppressed
violently suppressed
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what came to be known
as the Iranian Green Movement,
as the Iranian Green Movement,
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even blocking mobile signals
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to cut off communication
between the protesters.
between the protesters.
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My parents, who emigrated
to the United States in the late 1960s,
to the United States in the late 1960s,
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spend substantial time there,
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where all of my large,
extended family live.
extended family live.
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When I would call my family in Tehran
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during some of the most violent
crackdowns of the protest,
crackdowns of the protest,
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none of them dared discuss
with me what was happening.
with me what was happening.
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They or I knew to quickly steer
the conversation to other topics.
the conversation to other topics.
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All of us understood
what the consequences could be
what the consequences could be
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of a perceived dissident action.
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But I still wish I could have known
what they were thinking
what they were thinking
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or what they were feeling.
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What if I could have?
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Or more frighteningly,
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what if the Iranian government could have?
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Would they have arrested them
based on what their brains revealed?
based on what their brains revealed?
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That day may be closer than you think.
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With our growing capabilities
in neuroscience, artificial intelligence
in neuroscience, artificial intelligence
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and machine learning,
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we may soon know a lot more
of what's happening in the human brain.
of what's happening in the human brain.
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As a bioethicist, a lawyer, a philosopher
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and an Iranian-American,
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I'm deeply concerned
about what this means for our freedoms
about what this means for our freedoms
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and what kinds of protections we need.
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I believe we need
a right to cognitive liberty,
a right to cognitive liberty,
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as a human right
that needs to be protected.
that needs to be protected.
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If not, our freedom of thought,
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access and control over our own brains
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and our mental privacy will be threatened.
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Consider this:
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the average person thinks
thousands of thoughts each day.
thousands of thoughts each day.
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As a thought takes form,
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like a math calculation
or a number, a word,
or a number, a word,
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neurons are interacting in the brain,
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creating a miniscule electrical discharge.
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When you have a dominant
mental state, like relaxation,
mental state, like relaxation,
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hundreds and thousands of neurons
are firing in the brain,
are firing in the brain,
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creating concurrent electrical discharges
in characteristic patterns
in characteristic patterns
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that can be measured
with electroencephalography, or EEG.
with electroencephalography, or EEG.
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In fact, that's what
you're seeing right now.
you're seeing right now.
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You're seeing my brain activity
that was recorded in real time
that was recorded in real time
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with a simple device
that was worn on my head.
that was worn on my head.
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What you're seeing is my brain activity
when I was relaxed and curious.
when I was relaxed and curious.
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To share this information with you,
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I wore one of the early
consumer-based EEG devices
consumer-based EEG devices
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like this one,
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which recorded the electrical
activity in my brain in real time.
activity in my brain in real time.
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It's not unlike the fitness trackers
that some of you may be wearing
that some of you may be wearing
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to measure your heart rate
or the steps that you've taken,
or the steps that you've taken,
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or even your sleep activity.
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It's hardly the most sophisticated
neuroimaging technique on the market.
neuroimaging technique on the market.
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But it's already the most portable
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and the most likely to impact
our everyday lives.
our everyday lives.
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This is extraordinary.
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Through a simple, wearable device,
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we can literally see
inside the human brain
inside the human brain
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and learn aspects of our mental landscape
without ever uttering a word.
without ever uttering a word.
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While we can't reliably decode
complex thoughts just yet,
complex thoughts just yet,
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we can already gauge a person's mood,
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and with the help
of artificial intelligence,
of artificial intelligence,
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we can even decode
some single-digit numbers
some single-digit numbers
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or shapes or simple words
that a person is thinking
that a person is thinking
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or hearing, or seeing.
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Despite some inherent limitations in EEG,
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I think it's safe to say
that with our advances in technology,
that with our advances in technology,
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more and more of what's happening
in the human brain
in the human brain
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can and will be decoded over time.
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Already, using one of these devices,
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an epileptic can know
they're going to have an epileptic seizure
they're going to have an epileptic seizure
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before it happens.
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A paraplegic can type on a computer
with their thoughts alone.
with their thoughts alone.
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A US-based company has developed
a technology to embed these sensors
a technology to embed these sensors
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into the headrest of automobilies
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so they can track driver concentration,
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distraction and cognitive load
while driving.
while driving.
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Nissan, insurance companies
and AAA have all taken note.
and AAA have all taken note.
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You could even watch this
choose-your-own-adventure movie
choose-your-own-adventure movie
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"The Moment," which, with an EEG headset,
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changes the movie
based on your brain-based reactions,
based on your brain-based reactions,
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giving you a different ending
every time your attention wanes.
every time your attention wanes.
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This may all sound great,
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and as a bioethicist,
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I am a huge proponent of empowering people
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to take charge of their own
health and well-being
health and well-being
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by giving them access
to information about themselves,
to information about themselves,
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including this incredible
new brain-decoding technology.
new brain-decoding technology.
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But I worry.
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I worry that we will voluntarily
or involuntarily give up
or involuntarily give up
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our last bastion of freedom,
our mental privacy.
our mental privacy.
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That we will trade our brain activity
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for rebates or discounts on insurance,
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or free access
to social-media accounts ...
to social-media accounts ...
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or even to keep our jobs.
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In fact, in China,
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the train drivers on
the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail,
the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail,
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the busiest of its kind in the world,
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are required to wear EEG devices
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to monitor their brain activity
while driving.
while driving.
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According to some news sources,
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in government-run factories in China,
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the workers are required to wear
EEG sensors to monitor their productivity
EEG sensors to monitor their productivity
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and their emotional state at work.
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Workers are even sent home
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if their brains show less-than-stellar
concentration on their jobs,
concentration on their jobs,
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or emotional agitation.
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It's not going to happen tomorrow,
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but we're headed to a world
of brain transparency.
of brain transparency.
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And I don't think people understand
that that could change everything.
that that could change everything.
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Everything from our definitions
of data privacy to our laws,
of data privacy to our laws,
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to our ideas about freedom.
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In fact, in my lab at Duke University,
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we recently conducted a nationwide study
in the United States
in the United States
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to see if people appreciated
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the sensitivity
of their brain information.
of their brain information.
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We asked people to rate
their perceived sensitivity
their perceived sensitivity
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of 33 different kinds of information,
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from their social security numbers
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to the content
of their phone conversations,
of their phone conversations,
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their relationship history,
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their emotions, their anxiety,
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the mental images in their mind
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and the thoughts in their mind.
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Shockingly, people rated their social
security number as far more sensitive
security number as far more sensitive
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than any other kind of information,
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including their brain data.
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I think this is because
people don't yet understand
people don't yet understand
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or believe the implications
of this new brain-decoding technology.
of this new brain-decoding technology.
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After all, if we can know
the inner workings of the human brain,
the inner workings of the human brain,
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our social security numbers
are the least of our worries.
are the least of our worries.
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(Laughter)
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Think about it.
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In a world of total brain transparency,
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who would dare have
a politically dissident thought?
a politically dissident thought?
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Or a creative one?
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I worry that people will self-censor
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in fear of being ostracized by society,
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or that people will lose their jobs
because of their waning attention
because of their waning attention
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or emotional instability,
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or because they're contemplating
collective action against their employers.
collective action against their employers.
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That coming out
will no longer be an option,
will no longer be an option,
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because people's brains will long ago
have revealed their sexual orientation,
have revealed their sexual orientation,
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their political ideology
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or their religious preferences,
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well before they were ready
to consciously share that information
to consciously share that information
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with other people.
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I worry about the ability of our laws
to keep up with technological change.
to keep up with technological change.
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Take the First Amendment
of the US Constitution,
of the US Constitution,
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which protects freedom of speech.
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Does it also protect freedom of thought?
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And if so, does that mean that we're free
to alter our thoughts however we want?
to alter our thoughts however we want?
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Or can the government or society tell us
what we can do with our own brains?
what we can do with our own brains?
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Can the NSA spy on our brains
using these new mobile devices?
using these new mobile devices?
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Can the companies that collect
the brain data through their applications
the brain data through their applications
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sell this information to third parties?
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Right now, no laws prevent them
from doing so.
from doing so.
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It could be even more problematic
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in countries that don't share
the same freedoms
the same freedoms
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enjoyed by people in the United States.
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What would've happened during
the Iranian Green Movement
the Iranian Green Movement
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if the government had been
monitoring my family's brain activity,
monitoring my family's brain activity,
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and had believed them
to be sympathetic to the protesters?
to be sympathetic to the protesters?
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Is it so far-fetched to imagine a society
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in which people are arrested
based on their thoughts
based on their thoughts
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of committing a crime,
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like in the science-fiction
dystopian society in "Minority Report."
dystopian society in "Minority Report."
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Already, in the United States, in Indiana,
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an 18-year-old was charged
with attempting to intimidate his school
with attempting to intimidate his school
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by posting a video of himself
shooting people in the hallways ...
shooting people in the hallways ...
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Except the people were zombies
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and the video was of him playing
an augmented-reality video game,
an augmented-reality video game,
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all interpreted to be a mental projection
of his subjective intent.
of his subjective intent.
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This is exactly why our brains
need special protection.
need special protection.
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If our brains are just as subject
to data tracking and aggregation
to data tracking and aggregation
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as our financial records and transactions,
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if our brains can be hacked
and tracked like our online activities,
and tracked like our online activities,
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our mobile phones and applications,
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then we're on the brink of a dangerous
threat to our collective humanity.
threat to our collective humanity.
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Before you panic,
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I believe that there are solutions
to these concerns,
to these concerns,
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but we have to start by focusing
on the right things.
on the right things.
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When it comes to privacy
protections in general,
protections in general,
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I think we're fighting a losing battle
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by trying to restrict
the flow of information.
the flow of information.
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Instead, we should be focusing
on securing rights and remedies
on securing rights and remedies
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against the misuse of our information.
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If people had the right to decide
how their information was shared,
how their information was shared,
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and more importantly, have legal redress
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if their information
was misused against them,
was misused against them,
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say to discriminate against them
in an employment setting
in an employment setting
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or in health care or education,
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this would go a long way to build trust.
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In fact, in some instances,
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we want to be sharing more
of our personal information.
of our personal information.
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Studying aggregated information
can tell us so much
can tell us so much
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about our health and our well-being,
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but to be able to safely share
our information,
our information,
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we need special protections
for mental privacy.
for mental privacy.
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This is why we need
a right to cognitive liberty.
a right to cognitive liberty.
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This right would secure for us
our freedom of thought and rumination,
our freedom of thought and rumination,
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our freedom of self-determination,
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and it would insure that we have
the right to consent to or refuse
the right to consent to or refuse
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access and alteration
of our brains by others.
of our brains by others.
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This right could be recognized
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as part of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights,
of Human Rights,
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which has established mechanisms
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for the enforcement
of these kinds of social rights.
of these kinds of social rights.
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During the Iranian Green Movement,
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the protesters used the internet
and good old-fashioned word of mouth
and good old-fashioned word of mouth
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to coordinate their marches.
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And some of the most oppressive
restrictions in Iran
restrictions in Iran
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were lifted as a result.
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But what if the Iranian government
had used brain surveillance
had used brain surveillance
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to detect and prevent the protest?
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Would the world have ever heard
the protesters' cries?
the protesters' cries?
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The time has come for us to call
for a cognitive liberty revolution.
for a cognitive liberty revolution.
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To make sure that we responsibly
advance technology
advance technology
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that could enable us to embrace the future
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while fiercely protecting all of us
from any person, company or government
from any person, company or government
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that attempts to unlawfully access
or alter our innermost lives.
or alter our innermost lives.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nita Farahany - Legal scholar, ethicistNita A. Farahany is a leading scholar on the ethical, legal, and social implications of biosciences and emerging technologies, particularly those related to neuroscience and behavioral genetics.
Why you should listen
Nita A. Farahany is a professor of law and philosophy, the founding director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society and chair of the MA in Bioethics & Science Policy at Duke University. In 2010, Farahany was appointed by President Obama to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, and she served as a member until 2017. She is a member of the Neuroethics Division of the Multi-Council Working Group for the BRAIN Initiative, on the President's Research Council of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), and past member of the Global Agenda Council for Privacy, Technology and Governance at the World Economic Forum.
Farahany presents her work to diverse audiences and is a frequent commentator for national media and radio shows. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute, the President-Elect of the International Neuroethics Society, serves on the Board of the International Neuroethics Society, a co-editor a co-editor-in-chief and co-founder of the Journal of Law and the Biosciences and an editorial board member of the American Journal of Bioethics (Neuroscience). She's on the Ethics Advisory Board for Illumina, Inc., the Scientific Advisory Board of Helix, and the Board of Advisors of Scientific American.
Farahany received her AB in genetics, cell and developmental biology at Dartmouth College, a JD and MA from Duke University, as well as a PhD in philosophy. She also holds an ALM in biology from Harvard University. In 2004-2005, Farahany clerked for Judge Judith W. Rogers of the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, after which she joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University. In 2011, Farahany was the Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor of Human Rights at Stanford Law School.
Nita Farahany | Speaker | TED.com