0:00:01.096,0:00:05.927
In the months following[br]the 2009 presidential election in Iran,

0:00:05.927,0:00:08.821
protests erupted across the country.

0:00:09.757,0:00:12.755
The Iranian government[br]violently suppressed

0:00:12.755,0:00:16.164
what came to be known[br]as the Iranian Green Moevement.

0:00:16.676,0:00:18.856
Even blocking mobile signals

0:00:18.856,0:00:21.798
to cut off communication[br]between the protesters.

0:00:22.404,0:00:27.009
My parents, who emigrated[br]to the United States in the late 1960s,

0:00:27.009,0:00:28.964
spend substantial time there,

0:00:28.964,0:00:31.897
where all of my large,[br]extended family live.

0:00:32.865,0:00:36.139
When I would call my family in Tehran

0:00:36.139,0:00:39.644
during some of the most violent[br]crackdowns of the protest,

0:00:39.644,0:00:42.686
none of them dared discuss[br]with me what was happening.

0:00:43.334,0:00:46.763
They or I knew to quickly steer[br]the conversation to other topics.

0:00:47.211,0:00:50.663
All of us understood what[br]the consequences could be

0:00:50.663,0:00:53.143
of a perceived dissident action.

0:00:54.215,0:00:57.707
But I still wish I could have known[br]what they were thinking

0:00:57.707,0:00:59.325
or what they were feeling.

0:01:00.249,0:01:01.642
What if I could have?

0:01:02.149,0:01:03.411
Or more frighteningly,

0:01:03.411,0:01:06.428
what if the Iranian[br]government could have?

0:01:06.870,0:01:10.114
Would they have arrested them[br]based on what their brains revealed?

0:01:11.037,0:01:14.175
That day may be closer than you think.

0:01:14.662,0:01:18.496
With our growing capabilities[br]in neuroscience, artificial intelligence

0:01:18.496,0:01:20.222
and machine learning,

0:01:20.222,0:01:22.784
we may soon know a lot more

0:01:22.784,0:01:24.614
of what's happening[br]in the human brain.

0:01:25.083,0:01:28.489
As a bioethicist, a lawyer,[br]a philosopher

0:01:28.489,0:01:30.379
and an Iranian-American,

0:01:30.379,0:01:34.189
I'm deeply concerned about what[br]this means for our freedoms

0:01:34.189,0:01:36.360
and what kinds of protections we need.

0:01:37.081,0:01:40.517
I believe we need[br]a right to cognitive liberty

0:01:40.517,0:01:43.409
as a human right[br]that needs to be protected.

0:01:43.772,0:01:46.547
If not, our freedom of thought,

0:01:46.547,0:01:49.487
access and control over our own brains

0:01:49.487,0:01:52.597
and our mental privacy will be threatened.

0:01:53.698,0:01:54.701
Consider this.

0:01:54.701,0:01:58.194
The average person thinks[br]thousands of thoughts each day.

0:01:58.784,0:01:59.969
As a thought takes form,

0:01:59.969,0:02:03.702
like a math calculation or a number,

0:02:03.702,0:02:05.080
a word,

0:02:05.080,0:02:07.949
neurons are interacting in the brain,

0:02:07.949,0:02:11.217
creating [a] miniscule[br]electrical discharge.

0:02:11.888,0:02:15.293
When you have a dominant[br]mental state like relaxation,

0:02:15.293,0:02:19.534
hundreds and thousands of neurons[br]are firing in the brain,

0:02:19.534,0:02:23.775
creating concurrent electrical discharges[br]in characteristic patterns

0:02:23.775,0:02:27.386
that can measured with[br]electroencephalography,

0:02:27.386,0:02:28.530
or EEG.

0:02:29.230,0:02:31.390
In fact, that's what[br]you're seeing right now.

0:02:32.075,0:02:36.178
You're seeing my brain activity[br]that was recorded in real time

0:02:36.178,0:02:38.913
with a simple device[br]that was worn on my head.

0:02:39.804,0:02:45.457
What you're seeing is my brain activity[br]when I was relaxed and curious.

0:02:46.225,0:02:47.903
To share this information with you,

0:02:47.903,0:02:51.013
I wore one of the early[br]consumer-based EEG devices

0:02:51.013,0:02:52.247
like this one,

0:02:52.247,0:02:56.235
which recorded the electrical[br]activity in my brain in real time.

0:02:56.993,0:03:00.780
It's not unlike the fitness trackers[br]that some of you may be wearing

0:03:00.780,0:03:04.309
to measure your heart rate[br]or the steps that you've taken

0:03:04.309,0:03:06.058
or even your sleep activity.

0:03:07.154,0:03:10.978
It's hardly the most sophisticated[br]neuroimaging technique on the market.

0:03:11.740,0:03:14.103
But it's already the most portable

0:03:14.103,0:03:17.255
and the most likely to impact[br]our everyday lives.

0:03:18.019,0:03:19.264
This is extraordinary.

0:03:19.482,0:03:21.971
Through a simple, wearable device,

0:03:21.971,0:03:25.616
we can literally see[br]inside the human brain

0:03:25.616,0:03:29.229
and learn aspects of our mental landscape

0:03:29.229,0:03:32.279
without ever uttering a word.

0:03:32.829,0:03:36.601
While we can't reliably decode[br]complex thoughts just yet,

0:03:36.601,0:03:39.143
we can already gage a person's mood,

0:03:39.143,0:03:42.039
and with the help[br]of artificial intelligence,

0:03:42.039,0:03:46.530
we can even decode[br]some single-digit numbers

0:03:46.530,0:03:51.217
or shapes or simple words[br]that a person is thinking

0:03:51.217,0:03:53.768
or hearing, or seeing.

0:03:54.306,0:03:57.806
Despite some inherent limitations in EEG,

0:03:57.806,0:04:02.502
I think it's safe to say that with[br]our advances in technology,

0:04:02.502,0:04:06.274
more and more of what's happening[br]in the human brain

0:04:06.274,0:04:08.873
can and will be decoded over time.

0:04:09.442,0:04:13.909
Already, using one of these devices,[br]an epileptic can know

0:04:13.909,0:04:16.785
they're going to have an epileptic[br]seizure before it happens.

0:04:16.911,0:04:21.712
A paraplegic can type on a computer[br]with their thoughts alone.

0:04:22.613,0:04:26.761
A US-based company has developed[br]a technology to embed these censors

0:04:26.761,0:04:29.088
into the headrest of automobilies

0:04:29.088,0:04:31.579
so they can track driver concentration,

0:04:31.579,0:04:32.582
distraction

0:04:32.582,0:04:34.579
and cognitive load while driving.

0:04:34.937,0:04:38.995
Nissan, insurance companies[br]and AAA have all taken note.

0:04:40.147,0:04:44.600
You could even watch this[br]choose-your-own-adventure movie,

0:04:44.600,0:04:46.053
"The Moment,"

0:04:46.053,0:04:48.745
which, with an EEG headset,

0:04:48.745,0:04:52.838
changes the movie based[br]on your brain-based reactions,

0:04:52.838,0:04:57.191
giving you a different ending[br]every time your attention wanes.

0:04:59.226,0:05:02.005
This may all sound great,

0:05:02.005,0:05:04.154
and as a bioethicist,

0:05:04.154,0:05:07.985
I am a huge proponent of empowering people

0:05:07.985,0:05:10.535
to take charge of their own[br]health and wellbeing

0:05:10.535,0:05:13.476
by giving them access[br]to information about themselves,

0:05:13.476,0:05:16.452
including this incredible,[br]new, brain-decoding technology.

0:05:18.014,0:05:19.181
But I worry.

0:05:19.760,0:05:24.695
I worry that we will voluntarily[br]or involuntarily give up

0:05:24.695,0:05:27.552
our last bastion of freedom,

0:05:27.552,0:05:29.006
our mental privacy.

0:05:29.374,0:05:32.384
That we will trade our brain activity

0:05:32.384,0:05:36.534
for rebates or discounts on insurance,

0:05:36.534,0:05:40.508
or free access to social[br]media accounts ...

0:05:40.508,0:05:42.356
or even to keep our jobs.

0:05:43.060,0:05:46.469
In fact, in China,

0:05:46.469,0:05:52.299
the train drivers on[br]the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail,

0:05:52.299,0:05:54.724
the busiest of its kind in the world,

0:05:54.724,0:05:57.407
are required to wear EEG devices

0:05:57.407,0:05:59.834
to monitor their brain[br]activity while driving.

0:06:00.189,0:06:02.506
According to some news sources,

0:06:02.506,0:06:05.206
in government-run factories in China,

0:06:05.206,0:06:10.577
the workers are required to wear[br]EEG censors to monitor their productivity

0:06:10.577,0:06:12.692
and their emotional state at work.

0:06:13.482,0:06:15.752
Workers are even sent home

0:06:15.752,0:06:19.806
if their brains show less-than-stellar[br]concentration on their jobs,

0:06:19.806,0:06:21.928
or emotional agitation.

0:06:23.340,0:06:25.085
It's not going to happen tomorrow,

0:06:25.085,0:06:28.171
but we're headed to a world[br]of brain transparency.

0:06:28.641,0:06:32.081
And I don't think people understand[br]that that could change everything.

0:06:32.498,0:06:36.284
Everything from our definitions[br]of data privacy to our laws,

0:06:36.284,0:06:38.084
to our ideas about freedom.

0:06:38.771,0:06:41.832
In fact, in my lab at Duke University,

0:06:41.832,0:06:43.898
we recently conducted a nationwide study

0:06:43.898,0:06:45.134
in the United States

0:06:45.134,0:06:47.173
to see if people appreciated

0:06:47.173,0:06:49.244
the sensitivity of[br]their brain information.

0:06:50.412,0:06:53.736
We asked people to rate[br]their perceived sensitivity

0:06:53.736,0:06:56.151
of 33 different kinds of information,

0:06:56.151,0:06:58.235
from their social security numbers

0:06:58.235,0:07:00.984
to the content of their[br]phone conversations,

0:07:00.984,0:07:03.200
their relationship history,

0:07:03.200,0:07:05.249
their emotions, their anxiety,

0:07:05.249,0:07:07.089
the mental images in their mind

0:07:07.089,0:07:08.627
and the thoughts in their mind.

0:07:09.537,0:07:14.789
Shockingly, people rated their social[br]security number as far more sensitive

0:07:14.789,0:07:17.065
than any other kind of information,

0:07:17.065,0:07:19.500
including their brain data.

0:07:20.523,0:07:23.721
I think this is because[br]people don't yet understand

0:07:23.731,0:07:28.043
or believe the implications[br]of this new brain-decoding technology.

0:07:28.693,0:07:32.053
After all, if we can know the inner[br]workings of the human brain,

0:07:32.053,0:07:34.782
our social security numbers[br]are the least of our worries.

0:07:34.782,0:07:36.090
(Laughter)

0:07:36.090,0:07:37.280
Think about it.

0:07:37.280,0:07:39.783
In a world of total brain transparency,

0:07:39.783,0:07:42.209
who would dare have[br]a politically dissident thought?

0:07:43.470,0:07:45.011
Or a creative one?

0:07:45.575,0:07:49.194
I worry that people will self-censor

0:07:49.194,0:07:52.494
in fear of being ostracized by society,

0:07:52.494,0:07:56.330
or that people will lose their jobs[br]because of their waning attention

0:07:56.330,0:07:58.503
or emotional instability,

0:07:58.503,0:08:02.053
or because they're contemplating[br]collective action against their employers.

0:08:02.677,0:08:05.838
That coming out[br]will no longer be an option

0:08:05.838,0:08:10.968
because people's brains will long ago[br]have revealed their sexual orientation,

0:08:10.968,0:08:12.739
their political ideaology,

0:08:12.739,0:08:14.729
or their religious preferences,

0:08:14.729,0:08:17.746
well before they were ready[br]to conciously share that information

0:08:17.746,0:08:18.999
with other people.

0:08:19.629,0:08:24.541
I worry about the ability of our laws[br]to keep up with technological change.

0:08:24.986,0:08:27.229
Take the First Amendment[br]of the US Constitution,

0:08:27.229,0:08:28.930
which protects freedom of speech.

0:08:29.368,0:08:31.540
Does it also protect freedom of thought?

0:08:32.174,0:08:35.962
And if so, does that mean that we're free[br]to alter our thoughts however we want?

0:08:36.177,0:08:40.851
Or can the government or society tell us[br]what we can do with our own brains?

0:08:41.750,0:08:45.467
Can the NSA spy on our brains[br]using these new mobile devices?

0:08:46.157,0:08:50.316
Can the companies that collect[br]the brain data through their applications

0:08:50.316,0:08:52.390
sell this information to third parties?

0:08:53.214,0:08:56.600
Right now, no laws prevent[br]them from doing so.

0:08:57.363,0:08:59.348
It could be even more problematic

0:08:59.348,0:09:01.906
in countries that don't share[br]the same freedoms

0:09:01.906,0:09:04.009
enjoyed by people in the United States.

0:09:05.011,0:09:08.787
What would've happened during[br]the Iranian Green Movement

0:09:08.787,0:09:12.635
if the government had been[br]monitoring my family's brain activity,

0:09:12.635,0:09:16.642
and had believed them to be[br]sympathetic to the protesters?

0:09:18.242,0:09:21.273
Is it so far-fetched to imagine a society[br]

0:09:21.273,0:09:24.065
in which people are arrested[br]based on their thoughts

0:09:24.065,0:09:25.343
of committing a crime?

0:09:25.343,0:09:29.655
LIke in the science-fiction, dystopian[br]society in "Minority Report."

0:09:30.366,0:09:33.432
Already, in the United States,

0:09:33.432,0:09:34.832
in Indiana,

0:09:34.832,0:09:39.735
an 18-year-old was charged[br]with attempting to intimidate his school

0:09:39.735,0:09:44.080
by posting a video of himself[br]shooting people in the hallways ...

0:09:44.080,0:09:46.968
except the people were zombies

0:09:46.968,0:09:52.038
and the video was of him playing[br]and augmented-reality video game,

0:09:52.038,0:09:56.810
all interpreted to be a mental projection[br]of his subjective intent.

0:09:58.607,0:10:02.944
This is exactly why our brains[br]need special protection.

0:10:03.331,0:10:06.866
If our brains are just as subject[br]to data tracking and aggregation

0:10:06.876,0:10:09.324
as our financial records and transactions,

0:10:09.324,0:10:13.665
if you brains can be hacked[br]and tracked like our online activities,

0:10:13.665,0:10:16.089
our mobile phones and applications,

0:10:16.089,0:10:20.575
then we're on the brink of a dangerous[br]threat to our collective humanity.

0:10:21.493,0:10:24.092
Before you panic,

0:10:24.092,0:10:27.342
I believe that there are solutions[br]to these concerns,

0:10:27.342,0:10:30.167
but we have to start by focusing[br]on the right things.

0:10:30.612,0:10:33.589
When it comes to privacy[br]protections in general,

0:10:33.589,0:10:35.438
I think we're fighting a losing battle

0:10:35.438,0:10:38.022
by trying to restrict[br]the flow of information.

0:10:38.273,0:10:42.505
Instead, we should be focusing[br]on securing rights and remedies

0:10:42.505,0:10:44.780
against the misuse of our information.

0:10:45.403,0:10:48.680
If people had the right to decide[br]how their information was shared,

0:10:48.680,0:10:49.929
and more importantly,

0:10:49.929,0:10:51.642
have legal redress,

0:10:51.642,0:10:53.817
if their information[br]was misused against them,

0:10:53.817,0:10:56.871
say to discriminate against them[br]in an employment setting

0:10:56.871,0:10:59.679
or in health care and education,

0:10:59.679,0:11:02.407
this would go a long way to build trust.

0:11:02.843,0:11:04.796
In fact, in some instances,

0:11:04.796,0:11:08.320
we want to be sharing more[br]of our personal information.

0:11:08.968,0:11:11.984
Studying aggregated information[br]can tell us so much

0:11:11.984,0:11:14.697
about our health and our wellbeing,

0:11:14.697,0:11:18.033
but to be able to safely[br]share our information,

0:11:18.033,0:11:21.256
we need special protections[br]for mental privacy.

0:11:21.888,0:11:25.229
This is why we need[br]a right to cognitive liberty.

0:11:25.662,0:11:29.842
This right would secure for us[br]our freedom of thought and rumination,

0:11:29.842,0:11:32.307
our freedom of self-determination

0:11:32.307,0:11:36.656
and it would insure that we have[br]the right to consent to or refuse

0:11:36.656,0:11:39.513
access and alteration[br]of our brains by others.

0:11:39.891,0:11:42.081
This right could be recognized

0:11:42.081,0:11:44.958
as part of the universal[br]declaration of human rights,

0:11:44.958,0:11:47.266
which has established mechanisms

0:11:47.266,0:11:50.122
for the enforcement of these[br]kinds of social rights.

0:11:51.872,0:11:54.149
During the Iranian Green Movement,

0:11:54.149,0:11:59.320
the protesters used the internet[br]and good old-fashioned word of mouth

0:11:59.320,0:12:01.268
to coordinate their marches.

0:12:02.373,0:12:05.134
And some of the most oppressive[br]restrictions in Iran

0:12:05.134,0:12:07.011
were lifted as a result.

0:12:08.135,0:12:12.302
But what if the Iranian government[br]had used brain surveillance

0:12:12.302,0:12:15.363
to detect and prevent the protest?

0:12:16.982,0:12:20.350
Would the world have ever heard[br]the protester's cries?

0:12:21.867,0:12:26.988
The time has come for us to call[br]for a cognitive liberty revolution.

0:12:27.695,0:12:30.982
To make sure that we responsibly[br]advance technology

0:12:30.982,0:12:33.928
that can enable us to embrace the future

0:12:33.928,0:12:37.206
while fiercely protecting all of us

0:12:37.206,0:12:40.678
from any person, company or government

0:12:40.678,0:12:45.718
that attempts to unlawfully access[br]or alter our innermost lives.

0:12:46.731,0:12:47.877
Thank you.

0:12:48.305,0:12:50.491
(Applause)