Transparency
Transparency from manufacturers, governments, and health care professionals is essential to protecting the rights, health, and dignity of patients with neural implants.
Brain-computer interfaces and other neural implant technologies interact directly with the nervous system and, in some cases, collect, process, or influence information related to a person’s thoughts, intentions, movements, or neurological activity. Because these technologies operate within one of the most personal and sensitive aspects of human life, patients deserve a high standard of openness regarding how their devices function, what risks they may present, and how patient data is collected, used, stored, and shared.
Patients should never be left in the dark about the technology implanted within their bodies. Information relating to safety, performance, adverse events, software updates, cybersecurity risks, device failures, and data practices should be readily available and presented in a manner that is understandable to the average patient. Information that affects a patient’s health, safety, autonomy, or ability to make informed decisions should not be unnecessarily withheld or made difficult to access.
Our Demands
- Patients have the right to access all information relevant to their implant, including known risks, adverse events, device limitations, software updates, and significant changes to the device.
- Health care professionals should provide patients with sufficient information to support informed consent throughout the life of the implant.
- Regulators should make safety findings, enforcement actions, and recall information easily available to the public.
- Where possible, aspects of the implant process including management, should remain under the management of health care professionals over the manufacturer and automated systems.