Why Wired is losing its credibility

Popular science magazine/website Wired very recently published an article that updates the public on the recent technological advance that has enabled the use of event-related potentials (ERP, a common experimental technique in cognitive science) to allow people to steer wheelchairs, operate simple machinery, and even post tweets to twitter. Essentially, the technology is an internalized (literally) version of something like eye-tracking, allowing users to choose directions or choices from a list. That's rather aside the point, though...

Wired is now claiming that computer hackers can actually "take over your brain" because this technology allows a direct link to the brain.


The way this technology works does not allow a program direct access to the brain; rather, it allows a program direct access to brain readings that subsequently allow a unique user to operate the program using only their thoughts. Saying that this allows for literal hacking into one's brain is like saying that if you edit a photocopy of a paper, you actually edit the original paper! It's absolutely incorrect, and absurd.

Wired is no stranger to sensationalism and taking things out of context (see this article earlier this year where they made out a simple update in slander and speech laws to sound like you could get thrown in prison for using any abusive speech at all). However, this hits rather close to him because of my own experience with similar technology, and I just find it ridiculous. My work and research so far has focused intensely on the fact that the media in general needs to change the way that it talks about science - a change at this level will exact a far-reaching change in scientific literacy for the lay-public and for humanity in general.

See these first few comments on the article:

"OO oo its going to be like Ghost in the Shell! Pleezzz don’t hack my brain and upload the program that makes me like Fox News…"

"NUTELLA! PICK THE NUTELLA YOU FOOL!"

These readers are obviously being sarcastic, but the way that they perceived the article is clear: obviously, computer hackers now will have the ability to control your thoughts. Since neuroscience has entered the realm of popular science in full force in the last few years, it's important that people are educated on how things like this actually work, in order for us to avoid sensationalism tarnishing some of the most important new advances in science.