"Thou canst not touch the freedom of my mind," wrote the playwright John Milton in 1634.
But, nearly 400 years later, technological advances in machines that can read our thoughts mean the privacy of our brain is under threat.
Now two biomedical ethicists are calling for the creation of new human rights laws to ensure people are protected, including "the right to cognitive liberty" and "the right to mental integrity".
Scientists have already developed devices capable of telling whether people are politically right-wing or left-wing. In one experiment, researchers were able to read people's minds to tell with 70 per cent accuracy whether they planned to add or subtract two numbers.
(Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Monday May 15 2017, @05:25PM
If I'm looking for a product, advertising that extols the virtues of a product, and ideally, even the downsides (perhaps addressed in a more high-end offering) is exactly what I want.
So, what you're actually looking for isn't "advertising," but "honest, informed product reviews." That's a different genre.
Even if advertisers admit some "downsides," they will only do so strategically, i.e., admitting stuff that might be perceived as "downsides" by some, but will actually make their product more appealing in certain markets. (E.g., if your primary market is hipsters, you might deliberately point out how the technology is LESS "advanced," but that's because your "downside" is actually selectively selling your product better to your target audience.)
Advertising is basically never about giving you an honest evaluation of pros and cons. Why would any business voluntarily PAY to create ads that admit faults in their products which would make them less appealing?