United Nations report urges limits on neurotechnology and a ban on coercive uses of neural data

18 October 2026

A report of the United Nations Secretary-General presented to the General Assembly on Thursday warns that neurotechnology is outpacing the laws meant to protect human rights. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Claudia Fuentes Julio introduced the report to the Third Committee. It examines the growing use of neurotechnology in justice systems and the risks arising from its convergence with artificial intelligence. Neural data is defined as qualitative and quantitative data about the structure, activity and function of the nervous system. The report notes that brain signals recorded by gaming headsets or wellness gadgets could be accessed by governments or introduced as evidence in legal proceedings, threatening privacy, freedom of thought and the right to a fair trial, particularly for marginalised groups. It calls for prohibitions on coercive and abusive applications and for stronger safeguards covering informed consent, scientific validation, oversight, accountability and the protection of neural data.