« A machine able to accurately read a person’s thoughts could be an extraordinary boon — allowing security officials to catch terrorists before they act, for example, or providing a new voice to some brain-damaged patients who cannot move or communicate. But such a device could also be the stuff of science-fiction nightmares, raising the spectre of Big Brother and ever-vigilant thought police.
I think they’re missing the most obvious application of something like this. Controversial research: Good science bad science : Nature News & Comment