Scientists urge controls on mind-reading scanners ‘to protect privacy’

Scientists have called for regulation to protect “mental privacy” after they showed it was possible to read people’s thoughts using a brain scanner.

In a series of experiments researchers were able to interpret crudely what people were hearing or even imagining using a non-invasive functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) device.

The technique, reported in the journal Nature Neuroscience, was still far from perfect and required the co-operation of the subjects. However, the scientists said its potential was such that society needed to begin having conversations about what it might mean.

“The idea of having a perfect mind-reader is scary to us,” said Jerry Tang, from the University of Texas at Austin. “We think mental privacy is really important and that nobody’s brain should be decoded

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