However, where soldiers are equipped with cybernetic implants (brain-machine interfaces) which mediate between an information source and the brain, the right to “receive and impart information without interference from a public authority” gains a new dimension. There are many technologies which provide additional information to armed forces personnel, e.g., heads-up displays for fighter pilots and the Q-warrior augmented reality helmets from BAE Systems, which are unlikely to impact this right.
However, there are technologies in development which are intended to filter data in order to prevent information overload. This may be particularly relevant where the implant or prosthetic removes visual information from view, or is designed to provide targeting information to the soldier. According to reports, software has been devised in Germany which allows for the deletion of visual information by smart glass or contact lens.
As one futurist was quoted as saying “So if you decide you don’t like homeless people in your city, and you use this software and implant it in your contact lenses, then you won’t see them at all.”
An entire section of this book is dedicated to the legal and ethical implications of using supersoldiers, augmented by bionic prosthetics, augmented reality devices, and neural interfaces, in modern warfare. Highly recommended.