US Weighs Export Controls on BCI Technology
Summary
The US Bureau of Industry and Security published a 2021 advance notice seeking comments on export controls for BCI as an emerging technology, focused on national security.
Why it matters
The founding document that put BCI on the US export-control agenda — every later BIS conference and control debate traces back to it, essential reading on the US-China BCI technology-control landscape
BCIwiki (bciwiki.com) — The Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Department of Commerce (Commerce Department, Industry and Security Bureau) published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register on October 26, 2021 (document 2021-23256), requesting public comments on imposing export controls on Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) emerging technology. The notice states that BIS controls dual-use items under the Export Administration Regulations and the Commerce Control List, and that BCI, as an emerging technology, is not yet listed or controlled multilaterally. It defines BCI technology as including neural-controlled interfaces, mind-machine interfaces, direct neural interfaces and brain-machine interfaces. The request focuses on two questions: the technology’s impact on US national security — for example, whether it could give the United States or its adversaries a qualitative military or intelligence advantage — and how to make the scope of any controls effective in protecting national security while minimizing the impact on legitimate commercial and scientific applications.
Compiled by BCIwiki from public sources
