Monitoring our Brain Signals (part 2/5)

Just how does this work, though? Are hackers scanning our brains while we use apps on our phones? No. At least, not yet. They have been doing this by hacking BCI's that people are using, so it seems logical that as long as you don't use a BCI, you're safe, right? Not necessarily. Already, some devices we use link our brain to the outside world, such as fitbits and game controllers. As we see this kind of technology advancing and becoming more widely used, we are opening ourselves up to the hackers who know how to gather our information out of the air. When we use this technology, our information is encoded into electrophysiological signals, just like the signals in electroencephalograms (EEGs). Though this technology was originally designed to help the disabled (such as with mind-controlled prosthetic devices), it has now become much more widely used in other forms. A hands-free video game or a mind-controlled computer mouse uses the very same technology. The problem with this technology is that the application doesn't just gain access to the useful piece of EEG needed to control the app—it's gaining access to the entire EEG. These signals contain a lot of information about you as a person that you might not want to be widely known...