neuroethics

The study of the ethical, legal and social questions raised by brain science, and by technology that can read from or act on the brain and nervous system. The field took its name in 2002, at a conference in San Francisco called "Neuroethics: Mapping the Field".

Its central concerns are consent, mental privacy and freedom of thought: whether anyone may record, decode or influence what happens in a person's mind without their knowing, voluntary agreement. Those principles are now reaching law and policy. Colorado added neural data to its privacy law in 2024, and in November 2025 UNESCO's member states adopted the first global standard on the ethics of neurotechnology.

Related terms: cognitive liberty, neurotechnology, neural privacy, Colorado Privacy Act, Nuremberg Code

Sources: UNESCO adopts first global framework on neurotechnology ethics — UNESCO UK