California passes law protecting consumer brain data

“On Saturday, Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed a new law that aims to protect people’s brain data from being potentially misused by neurotechnology companies. A growing number of consumer technology products promise to help address cognitive issues: apps to meditate, to improve focus and to treat mental health conditions like depression. These products monitor and record brain data, which encodes virtually everything that goes on in the mind, including thoughts, feelings and intentions. The new law, which passed both the California State Assembly and the Senate with no voter opposition, amends the state’s current personal privacy law — known as the California Consumer Privacy Act — by including “neural data” under “personal sensitive information.” This includes data generated by a user’s brain activity and the meshwork of nerves that extends to the rest of the body.” (The New York Times)

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 launch on September 8. SpaceX launched a two-person crew to the International Space Station to retrieve two NASA astronauts stranded after a malfunction on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The Crew-9 capsule successfully docked with the ISS, with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov on board, while two other planned crew members made way for their return. The mission highlights ongoing challenges with Boeing’s spacecraft, which was deemed too risky for a crewed return after experiencing several technical failures. (via Bloomberg)

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