The Download: internet scams, and the ethics of brain implants

Both of the women can communicate without an implant. The first, Pat Bennett, who has ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, uses a computer to type. The second, Ann Johnson, who lost her voice as the result of a brain-stem stroke that left her paralyzed, uses an eye-tracking device to select letters on a computer screen. That ability to communicate is what gave them the power to consent to participate in these trials. But how does consent work when communication is more difficult?