Today, a range of technologies are being developed that enable others to monitor and modify mental states in ways that were previously inconceivable. They include new forms of neuroimaging, brain-computer-interfaces and neurostimulation. These technologies could be employed for a variety of purposes within different social domains, such as healthcare, criminal justice, the military, education, and direct-to-consumer neurotech, e.g., for gaming or meditation. Lawyers, philosophers, and regulatory bodies across the world are currently considering the ways in which (neuro)technologies might be responsibly used, and further, how we can guarantee their responsible use.  

 

This conference aims to advance this debate with a special eye to regulating neurotechnology in various social domains – which may require tailored legal, ethical and regulatory approaches. Apart from rights protecting against unwanted interferences by neurotechnology, the conference also considers freedoms to have access to neurotechnologies.   

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The conference intends to bring together experts in the field, working at the intersection of law, ethics and neurotechnology. In addition to invited speakers, we welcome abstract submissions for in-person oral presentations. Whereas the focus is on neurotechnology, we also welcome talks on other technologies and techniques that entail challenges in view of freedoms and rights over the minds.

 

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Topics may include:

• Moral rights over the mind

• Scope and foundations of legal rights for the mind (e.g., constitutional and human rights)

• Permissible limitations of legal rights for the mind (e.g., absolute protection, proportionality)

• Ethical principles and soft law instruments to regulate neurotechnology (e.g., by UNESCO and OECD)

• Supranational regulations relevant to neurotechnology (e.g., MDR, GDPR, AI Act)

• Domestic regulatory frameworks (e.g., criminal law, private law, administrative law)

• The relationship between moral rights, legal rights, and policy to protect the mind