I co-authored this policy brief as a final assignment for INFO 456 Information & Society, a senior-level undergraduate course at UBC that focuses on information technology policy and ethics. The brief examines the ethical implications of a fictional neurotechnology called "the grain", as featured in the techno-dystopian Netflix series Black Mirror.
The brief was written with The Electronic Privacy Information Centre (EPIC) as the intended audience, focusing on data control concerns that impact a user's privacy, freedom, and identity. The brief provides a succinct overview of the current state of neurotechnology regulation globally, before diving into the data security concerns around "the grain". The brief closes with an assessment of policy options moving forward and a tentative timeline for the top option.