Brain-Scanning Privacy Protections Get California Consideration

California would be one of the first states in the nation to put safeguards around brain-scanning technology under legislation being considered by state lawmakers.

The California measure (S.B. 1223) is similar to legislation in Colorado that is poised to be signed by Gov. Jared Polis (D). Both measures would establish privacy rights for consumers to protect their data from such devices and their software. Minnesota legislators also are considering stand-alone protections.

Lawmakers share the concerns of privacy advocates about a new arena of technology that is rapidly growing without regulations in place. Neural devices can include sleep-monitoring gadgets ...