Was anyone else greatly concerned with this? I was worried as soon as I read the headline, and as I read through the article I was simultaneously fascinated and distressed as my fears were confirmed.

This technology is absolutely fabulous and has so many potential uses (far beyond the accessibility and military use mentioned in the article). Think about it: wearing a headset that can respond to your thoughts. An Alexa/Bixsby/Siri/Google/whatever Voice Assistant right inside your head, performing tasks and answering questions all without ever needing you to whip out your phone or speak aloud. I already wear a Bluetooth headset 24/7 because of my job. I know some people think in concepts and visuals, but I form my thoughts by verbalizing my them into words and always have an inner monologue going.

You could quickly and (most importantly) privately take notes just by thinking of what you want to remember. You could quickly send messages in loud environments without losing focus - if you're at a concert and want to message your friends to see where they're at, you just need to think it; no need for shouting or getting your phone out. You could do things in the middle of a conversation without the other party being aware and without drawing attention to yourself - take notes on the resort they went to on vacation or that book they recommended, look up the definition of a word or fact you're unsure of so you don't look like an idiot, send a quick message to your boss or spouse without interrupting conversation, lookup movie showtimes or restaurant hours. Keep a journal of your thoughts and you would never forget anything ever again - record your thoughts as you're brainstorming, falling asleep, driving, or shopping.

The possibilities grow when you consider using this technology in the future with others (especially tech that isn't yet widespread, well-developed, or even thought up yet). I see this technology being combined with some sort of augmented reality that acts as an alternative to our current mobile device displays. An obvious contender would be [the AR 'smart' glasses currently on the market](https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-ar-glasses,review-2804.htm...) and in research/development. These technologies would help integrate the internet and computing power into our daily lives more seamlessly and less obtrusively.

AR displays could be navigated more effectively using your thoughts rather than tracking eye movement. Also, in addition to your voice assistant responding via audio they could respond with visuals on your private AR display. You could see an acquaintance on the street and as you're about to pass them, quickly think "What's their name, and pull up their contact/profile". When you're in an important meeting you could silently and privately pull up relevant items, like a job posting if you're in an interview.

The ability and very real possibility for this technology to become a common, everyday household fixture is what really concerned me. People don't care enough about their privacy; just look at all of the technology out there today like social media and Google where we freely give away our data to make our lives easier. I'm guilty of it too. The only thing standing between us and chaos is our fragile and naive trust that these corporations will handle our data honestly, morally, transparently, and properly. I really hope we change as a society and start taking our privacy seriously before more technologies like this become commonplace. Otherwise, companies providing it will be able to store and sell your thoughts. I can see companies tracking and selling your thoughts as you walk through the grocery store or as you watch TV, and it only grows darker from there.

Alright, I'm done with my rant and fear of a dystopian future. I just had to share because I've been thinking about it all morning since I woke up!