Menschenrechtlicher Schutz neuronaler Aktivität

Rapid advances in the development of neurotechnologies are enabling ever more extensive insights into, and increasingly targeted interventions in, neural activity within the human brain. At the same time, efforts to make neurotechnologies available for everyday use are gaining momentum. Against the backdrop of these developments, the introduction of new human rights-so-called neuro-rights-is being actively debated.
Nora Hertz critically engages with the various positions in this debate and examines the extent to which neural activity is already protected under existing human rights. Her analysis focuses on the private, non-medical use of neurotechnologies and on the protective dimension of human rights. Proposing a normative dualism in the legal understanding of the relationship between mind and body, the author explores the interpretation of the right to privacy under Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the right to freedom of thought under Article 18 ICCPR and Article 9 ECHR, as well as the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment under Article 7 ICCPR and Article 3 ECHR. She argues for an evolutionary interpretation of these rights in light of ongoing neurotechnological developments.
Taken together, these rights provide comprehensive protection for the freedom, integrity, and privacy of neural activity. Consequently, the call for the introduction of new human rights is ultimately unpersuasive. Existing human rights protect the autonomous use of neurotechnologies, making the free and informed consent of the individual concerned, as well as meaningful opportunities for control and choice, essential prerequisites for their human-rights-compliant application.
Building on this foundation, the study examines the extent to which these human rights requirements are reflected in the current legal framework and how regulatory instruments can be developed at the national, European, and international levels to establish common standards and strengthen human rights protections. Particular attention is paid to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, and the EU Medical Devices Regulation (MDR). In doing so, the author identifies both states' obligations and their regulatory discretion in ensuring the human-rights-compliant governance of non-medical neurotechnologies.