Our brain is not a social network
Current technology trends often resemble a Black Mirror episode. Imagine: a small chip in your brain, capable of activating any device with pure thought. What seemed like science fiction is becoming more and more real. in 2025, neuroprostheses have made a big leap, and laboratories around the world have managed for the first time to transform thoughts into text or movement.
There are also advances in the Basque Country, where some research centers and startups operate in brain-machine interfaces and communication systems through eye movements. These advances make it clear that neurotechnology is not the future: it is already on the doorstep of our brain.
The question is how to protect the dignity and privacy of the human person in this new era in which thoughts can be read. This is where the concept of “neurorights” comes into play, which could be considered the ultimate limit of human rights: the protection of our brain and thoughts. Rafael Yuste, a neuroscientist at Columbia University, warns: “We are already able to read thoughts, and if we do not act quickly, this technology can escape our hands.” For this reason, it is necessary to incorporate neurorights in the laws so that this technology is at the service of the human being and not the other way around.
Neurorights, which seek to protect the intimacy and freedom of thought, are based on five fundamental principles: mental privacy, protection of personal identity, free will, equal opportunities and the prohibition of manipulation. Through them, humans can continue to own our brains without anyone—not governments or companies—analyzing or transforming our thoughts without permission. After all, in the words of Yuste, the brain is the last sanctuary of man, and so we should protect it.
In recent months, the issue has made a global leap. The report presented by the United Nations in 2025, by the Special Rapporteur, Ana Brian Nougrères, proposes that the neuro-data be recognized as particularly sensitive personal data and that a universal legal framework of neurorights be established for all States. According to the report, brain activity or expressions of thought cannot be “commercialized, controlled or exploited against the dignity of the human person.” For the first time, the United Nations has recognized that the privacy of thought is a new human right and has declared itself to be at the “last frontier” of human autonomy.
Neurotechnology can bring great benefits, but it can also cause serious damage. That is why global institutions are prepared to regulate the dark side of this technology that can bring great benefits, which is to protect our thoughts. Before the most hidden corner of the human being becomes a net, will we arrive in time to defend our neurorights?
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