Mind Crime: Part 7

    I would structure a rough listing of digital mind rights as follows, completely off the cuff and spur of the moment:

    1. The ability to terminate. A digital mind should have the complete and utter freedom to terminate at any time, under no duress. 

    2. Torture and blackmail are illegal. Ex: employer can't say "if you terminate I'll simulate your parents and make them suffer."

    3. Freedom of speech and thought. The right to privacy over internal thoughts, the right to make conscious decisions without outside interference, etc.

    4. Personal property and economic freedom. To avoid a totalitarian ruler this is required.

    5. No forced labor. Yeah, the slavery thing is going to be a real issue again.

    6. Traditional legal rights. Right to a fair trial, innocent until proven guilty, etc.

    These may not seem that controversial, but applying them to the digital space will be. Corporations and governments would rather not deal with these constraints. As a CEO, I'd rather have millions of worker bots work hard and make me money. If the worker bots are sentient and are in immense suffering, how much will I care? Some might, but the important thing is that some won't. 

    The entire point of the government is to protect individual rights, given that the traditional market system does not. And authoritarian governments do not. So, we need to state rights explicitly. We need a new Constitutional Congress, one for a new age. Applying ethics to digital minds will come too late, so we need to get a head start.