Part 2 of Bio and Neural Rights: What’s at Stake
Part 2 of this three part series focuses on the "Horror" aspect—including specific, visceral scenarios of how this technology could be weaponized against individuals.
TL;DR: Public discussion about biotechnology rarely goes beyond GMOs or medical implants. But neural modification—the ability to read from or write to the nervous system—is rapidly evolving. And with it comes a set of “what if” scenarios that sound dystopian but are grounded in emerging research. This article explores the uncomfortable possibilities that arise when neural interfaces, gene editing, nanotechnology, wireless communications, and AI converge.
In the first article of this series, I outlined how neural modification technology is advancing faster than most people realize. Now I want to explore what's truly at stake—the scenarios that should concern us all.
Some of these may sound extreme. I ask only that you consider them seriously. The technology to make many of these scenarios possible either exists today or is in active development.
The Erosion of Mental Privacy
What happens when everything you think, hear, and see can be transmitted wirelessly to somewhere you don't control?
This isn't metaphorical. Brain-computer interfaces with two-way communication could mean your thoughts are no longer your own. Every private reflection, every unspoken opinion, every fleeting emotion—everything you look at—potentially accessible to others.
Mind Control
What if precise memories could be blocked from your mind wirelessly? What if your perception of reality itself could be altered—making you see or believe things that aren't true?
Consider the implications for relationships. What if your attraction toward certain people could be enhanced or diminished?
What if your brain could be manipulated to change how you perceive someone—perhaps making you discriminate against others based on skin color or some other characteristic? What if someone is showing hostility toward you because their brain is literally being modified to do so? Can you feel irritation toward a family member because a signal was injected into your neural system?
What if your sense of confidence and self-worth could be manipulated directly in your brain?
What if a third party is able to use hacking to gain control of your mind?
What if talents and skills—whether in memory, academics, music, or social connection—could be diminished or taken away with the click of a button?
Harming the Body
What if someone's biological motor function could be affected while they're driving?
What if someone could be made to feel physical violation without any physical contact?
What if injuries can occur without you noticeably making physical contact with anything?
What if heart pain or heart attacks could be remotely triggered in people, perhaps using a stent-like device that was inserted in you?
The Weaponization of the Body
What if someone's biological motor function could be affected while they're driving, causing them to strike another vehicle?
What if the solution being made available to you to defend against such weaponization (and perhaps to defend humanity in ways that I might not completely understand currently) is to induce a persistent brain fog in you that suppresses your ability to think and feel? What if you're hospitalized and required to take strong medications in conditions where worse things might happen—like induced painful constipation designed to break you down?
The Manipulation of Biology
The concerns extend beyond neural interfaces to broader biological manipulation.
Can health issues like cancer, diabetes, allergies, viral infections, and autoimmune conditions be caused surreptitiously through biotechnology?
What if body hair and head hair is decreased or increased using gene modification?
Can someone's inclination toward addictive substances be artificially increased? Can someone's basic bodily functions—like the need to use the bathroom—be triggered spontaneously from a distance?
What if someone's ability to have children can be affected? What if physical imperfections—outgrowths or other changes—can be caused? Can biotechnology make someone gain weight or experience shortness of breath without any lifestyle changes? Can someone's sense of identity, including gender identity, be manipulated at the biological level?
The Corruption of Institutions
Now consider what this means for society's foundations.
What if the minds of Congress members, judges, or the president are being influenced or controlled? How would we even know? How would democracy function if the people making decisions aren't truly making their own decisions?
History has seen slavery. What happens if the minds of the enslaved can be monitored and controlled? What if every time you have a thought disagreeable to the controlling party, you feel a shock in your head?
What if someone commits a crime due to mind control? Who bears responsibility? What if a routine utility check becomes a situation where the worker threatens that someone will come for you or your child in the night? What if people are held hostage by fear—not of physical violence, but of being targeted with neural technology?
Beyond Humans
The implications extend beyond human neural modification.
What if biologically and electronically augmented animals are used to surveil and intimidate people? Imagine insects, birds, or deer modified to carry sensors and transmitters, watching and listening in ways that seem entirely or mostly natural, perhaps even carrying fatal disease-causing pathogens. Suddenly, getting stung by a bee may mean something new.
What happens when the genetic material of various species is combined in ways never seen in nature—including potentially being introduced into human beings?
The Invisible Threat
Perhaps what makes all of this most concerning is how invisible it could be. Just as you can't see the signal between your phone and a cell tower, you wouldn't necessarily see any evidence of these technologies being deployed.
There might be no visible brain implant. No obvious surveillance device. No apparent source for the changes you're experiencing. You might simply find yourself thinking differently, feeling differently, behaving differently—and never know why.
How do you prove that your thoughts aren't your own? How do you demonstrate that your emotions are being manipulated? The very nature of this technology makes it extraordinarily difficult to detect and resist.
Identity Swapping
What if your identity is swapped with someone else's? Or perhaps identities are swapped in more complex ways among many people?