The coronavirus projected all decision-makers on sharp ridgelines. The fierce debates on tracing apps and the use of data illustrate the delicate trade-offs to be made in terms of efficiency, privacy and social acceptability, but also digital sovereignty, in order to secure populations and economies as quickly as possible. The covid19 reaches us in a world that is much more digitalized than it was during previous pandemics, and less so than it will be in the next ones. It is one of our assets. But any solution will carry its share of risk, which must be minimized and then managed within the overall ethical framework that we want for our society. This situation invites us to accelerate the implementation of new modes of governance of algorithmic devices and data, especially in the field of health, both nationally and internationally. This is the spirit of this forum co-signed with Eric Salobir in Le Figaro, and one of the works we are carrying out with the Human Technology Foundation and its partners.

This time of confinement highlights the urgency of considering neuroscience as a discipline that can help everyone to live it. Understanding and studying human behaviour will make it possible to measure the impact of such confinement on each one of us and to identify those who need help. Neurotechnologies, which are intended to be at the interface between the brain and the machine, can be very interesting tools for understanding these behaviours. On the other hand, it is becoming clear that the boundaries between the medical and non-medical uses of these neurotechnologies are becoming very porous, inviting us to reflect on neuroethical issues in order to put safeguards in place for these uses. 

By dint of wanting to accumulate data before making a decision, governments are becoming colossi with feet of silicon. They are at the mercy of the reliability and of the precision of these mega data on the one hand, and at the mercy of the interpretations that are made of them on the other.

An overview by anthropologist Claire Somerville, Executive Director of the Institute of Gender Studies in Geneva.