THE police, courts and security services should be banned from using brain-imaging technology, lest they exploit its potential to reveal our innermost thoughts and desires.
That was one of 37 recommendations about the future of the brain sciences that came out of the 鈥淢eeting of Minds European Citizens鈥� Deliberation鈥�, the biggest ever public science consultation exercise, which reported to the European Parliament on Monday.
The technology is developing so fast that it poses a threat to our privacy, says the report, and people should have to give informed consent before undergoing such scans for medical or research purposes.
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Other recommendations focused on ways of improving communication between ordinary citizens and brain researchers, boosting funding for the field, and ensuring adequate care for the growing numbers of people suffering mental or brain disorders. That would include nominating a trusted friend for each such patient, to help make decisions about their treatment.
The two-year consultation exercise, organised by the King Baudouin Foundation of Belgium, involved 126 ordinary European citizens from nine member states (New 杏吧原创, 21 January, p 11).
