Mental Privacy with Dr. Nita Farahany

Privacy Files

Since launching this podcast, we've covered a wide variety of privacy issues. But one topic we haven't addressed is the concept of "mental privacy."

In this episode of Privacy Files, we talk to Dr. Nita Farahany about how advancements in neurotechnology are threatening to infringe on cognitive liberty.

Dr. Farahany is a professor of law and philosophy at Duke University and the author of the book The Battle for your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology.

With the rise of consumer wearables like watches, headphones and smart rings, and the desire to include in these wearables, sensors that record and decipher brain activity, we are quickly reaching a time where even our thoughts won't be private.

Dr. Farahany calls mental privacy humanity's "last bastion of freedom."

In this enlightening conversation, we discuss some disturbing scenarios for how neurotechnology can be used. From the micromanagement of employees by companies, to government surveillance, this is an episode that will make you reconsider adopting wearable technology.

And as concerning as reading your thoughts might be, keep in mind that it's conceivable this technology could also be used to even alter human consciousness and thus manipulate individual behavior.

A very scary topic indeed.

To learn more about Dr. Farahany:

https://www.nitafarahany.com/

Links Referenced:

https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/23/snap-buys-mind-controlled-headband-maker-nextmind/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wearable-brain-devices-will-challenge-our-mental-privacy/

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/author-talks-can-you-use-your-brainpower-to-defend-cognitive-liberty

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-03-19/work-employment-jobs-tech-ai-brain

https://www.patentlyapple.com/2022/03/apple-has-won-a-patent-for-an-all-new-airpods-related-eye-mask-device-that-promotes-rest-and-jammed-with-biometric-sensors.html

https://www.nitafarahany.com/the-battle-for-your-brain

OUR SPONSORS:

Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com

MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com

MySudo VPN - No personal information required to sign up. You don't even need a username and password. Finally, a VPN that is actually private. https://mysudo.com/mysudo-vpn/

Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com

Reclaim - Whether you're just beginning your privacy journey, or have been working at it for some time, Reclaim is the perfect tool for assessing the size of your digital footprint and then taking action to reduce it. It's an also an excellent way to see if your personal information was exposed in a data breach. https://mysudo.com/reclaim/