Cognitive liberty & freedom of thought

Cognitive liberty is the proposed right to self-determination over one's own mental processes — both a negative right against non-consensual interference with the mind and a positive right to alter one's own cognition. It builds on the established human right to freedom of thought (Article 18 ICCPR; Article 9 ECHR), whose internal dimension — the forum internum — is treated as absolute and non-derogable: unlike most rights, it cannot be limited even for public order or national security.

Classically, freedom of thought was viewed as largely theoretical, because thoughts were inaccessible from the outside. Neurotechnology — and, separately, pervasive inference from behavioral data — is what makes it operationally relevant. A 2021 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of thought explicitly addressed neurotechnology, identifying protections against manipulation, against penalization for one's thoughts, and against non-consensual access to the mind.