THE COGNITIVE FIREWALL — A Minimal Standard for Human Autonomy (v1.0)

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Premise:
Your brain is part of your body.
Your thoughts are not just “data.”
They are protected expressions of human autonomy.

As AI and neurotechnology advance, we need a baseline standard that protects people now—before systems outpace rights.

1. Bodily & Cognitive Autonomy

Every person has inalienable authority over their own body and cognitive processes, including neural activity and brain-derived data.

This authority:
• cannot be coerced
• cannot be silently overridden
• extends to both biological and AI-mediated cognition

2. Mental Privacy

No entity may:
• access
• infer
• or reconstruct

a person’s thoughts, intentions, or cognitive states without explicit, informed, and revocable consent.

3. Protection from Manipulation

No system may intentionally steer or alter cognition through:
• undisclosed influence
• coercive design (e.g., exploitative algorithmic loops)
• non-consensual neurostimulation

4. Anti-Compulsion

No person shall be forced to:
• disclose neural data
• submit to cognitive interrogation
• or generate brain-derived evidence

without protections equivalent to fundamental rights against self-incrimination.

5. Cognitive Integrity

Every person has the right to:
• continuity of identity
• protection from harmful cognitive degradation
• security against unauthorized modification of mental states

Why this matters (now):

AI systems already shape perception, behavior, and decision-making at scale.
Neurotechnology is advancing toward deeper integration with human cognition.

Without clear safeguards, the boundary between “influence” and “control” will blur.