neural data

Neural data is the recording of brain activity that a brain–computer interface collects — voltages from the scalp, signals from electrodes on or in the cortex, or the patterns a system extracts from them. Like a photo captures light, neural data captures a trace of what your brain was doing.

What makes it unusual is how intimate it is. It comes directly from the organ behind your thoughts and feelings, and even when it cannot reveal a specific thought today, the same raw recordings might reveal more as tools improve. That gives it a long, uncertain shelf life compared with ordinary personal data.

So neural data raises pointed questions: Who owns it — you, the clinic, or the company? Who is allowed to use it, store it, sell it, or train models on it? And how should it be protected, so that a recording made to help you is not quietly turned to other ends?