SYLLABUS

GS-3: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights. 

Context: Recently, UNESCO released the first global normative framework on neurotechnology ethics, setting standards to safeguard human rights and protect the brain and brain-related data while enabling responsible innovation. 

About Neurotechnology 

• Neurotechnology refers to devices and procedures that access, assess, and act on neural systems, including the human brain.
• It encompasses deep brain stimulation, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), brain-wearables capturing neural signals, and systems that merge with artificial intelligence to decode or influence neural activity. 
• According to a UNESCO study published in 2023, public investments in neurotechnology already exceeded $6 billion. Private investment had already grown to $7.3 billion by the end of 2020.

UNESCO’s Recommendations

Protection of Mental Integrity and Ethical Values:

• It recognizes the human mind as inviolable and ensures that neurotechnology respects dignity, autonomy, and informed consent.
• It upholds mental privacy and neural data protection as fundamental rights, preserving freedom of thought, equality, and fairness.
• It introduces “neural data” as a distinct and highly sensitive category requiring dedicated safeguards.

Inclusivity, Accessibility, and Protection of Vulnerable Groups:

• It ensures equitable, accessible, and affordable neurotechnologies for all, preventing concentration of benefits among privileged groups.
• It promotes responsible and therapeutic use of neurotechnology for children and adolescents to safeguard developing brains and cognitive well-being.

Responsible Use in Workplaces and Consumer Domains: 

• It ensures ethical use of neurotechnology at workplaces by protecting employees’ privacy, dignity, and autonomy from invasive monitoring.
• It promotes transparency, factual claims, and user safety in consumer neurotechnology products that affect behaviour or cognition.

Governance, Regulation, and Future Preparedness: 

• It provides over 100 forward-looking recommendations covering human rights, data privacy, and emerging ethical challenges, including subliminal or dream-based marketing.
• It calls on states to establish strong legal and ethical frameworks ensuring transparency, accountability, and public trust in neurotechnology governance.

Significance of the Framework

• Global Ethical Benchmark: These recommendations establish the world’s first international framework to guide the ethical development and use of neurotechnologies.
• Shield for Vulnerable Groups: It provides special safeguards for children, patients, and workers, protecting them from unethical or exploitative neuro-interventions, with a responsible research and innovation (RRI) approach.
• Future-Ready Guidance: These guidelines anticipate emerging risks such as brain data misuse or manipulation through subliminal technologies, helping societies prepare for new ethical challenges.
• Inclusive and Equitable Access: These guidelines promote fair access to neurotechnologies, preventing inequalities and ensuring that benefits reach all sections of society.
• Balancing Neurotechnology with Neurorights: These standards are designed to maintain a balance between innovation and human rights to protect the human brain and brain-related data from misuse.

Sources:
The Hindu
UNESCO
The Gardian