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14 February 2025 / Harry Lambert
Issue: 8104 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology , Health , Human rights
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Neurotechnology & the law: human rights & civil liberties

208049
What do developments in neurotechnology mean for our free will & sense of self? In Pt 7 of this special series, Harry Lambert considers the implications for the individual & society at large
  • If a person’s right to freedom of thought is considered fundamental to their sense of self, neurotechnology brings with it profound implications for identity, agency and broader human rights.
  • Neuro-marketing and neuro-politics make use of strategies that tap into the brain, subconsciously swaying consumer or voter preferences without overt awareness.
  • The absence of regulation in these areas highlights the crucial importance of human rights law in tackling the challenges they present.

2024 was the year of elections. Almost half the world’s population voted, including eight of its ten most populous countries.

Such is the increasing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) over voter habits that Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, has gone as far as to describe the 2024 US election as ‘the last human election’.

But—again—neurotechnology

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gardner Leader—Charlotte Botham & Belinda Sinnott

Gardner Leader—Charlotte Botham & Belinda Sinnott

Law firm strengthens real estate team with two new partners

DR Solicitors—Sarah Cook

DR Solicitors—Sarah Cook

DR Solicitors strengthens primary care expertise with appointment of legal director

Womble Bond Dickinson—David Varney

Womble Bond Dickinson—David Varney

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints David Varney to strengthen digital practice

NEWS
A deputy costs judge correctly exercised his discretion to allow late service rather than strike out the point of dispute, the Court of Appeal has held
Prince Harry, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and five others have lost their case against the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, in Various Claimants v Associated Newspapers [2026] EWHC 1637 (KB)
Public confidence in the justice system is being undermined by a lack of accessible, useable data, magistrates have warned
The Sentencing Council has launched draft guidelines for facilitation and endangering another person during a sea crossing to the UK
Government proposals to make independent written legal advice a prerequisite for workplace non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) may prove unworkable, according to a senior employment lawyer
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