IN ORDER TO develop the potential of nanotechnology and nanomedicine, risks will need to be incurred. But accidental and willful misuse of the tremendous potential of nanotechnologies must be constrained by legal liability and strict enforcement.

The two prominent nanotechnology non-profit organizations, the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing and the Foresight Institute, argue that access to molecular nanotechnology should be unrestricted, we believe that this policy is foolhardy by the nature of its breadth. As the inability to develop and enforce global law for any other purpose should be understood, simply having laws and the desire to enforce the good and proper use of this technology is inadequate to prevent its misuse. Access must be controlled in addition to the enforcement of the misuse of technology.

These two organizations have jointly published Development Principles and Guidelines as follows:

Development Principles

1. Artificial replicators must not be capable of replication in a natural, uncontrolled environment.
2. Evolution within the context of a self-replicating manufacturing system is discouraged.
3. Any replicated information should be error free.
4. MNT device designs should specifically limit proliferation and provide traceability of any replicating systems.
5. Developers should attempt to consider systematically the environmental consequences of the technology, and to limit these consequences to intended effects. This requires significant research on environmental models, risk management, as well as the theory, mechanisms, and experimental designs for built-in safeguard systems.
6. Industry self-regulation should be designed in whenever possible. Economic incentives could be provided through discounts on insurance policies for MNT development organizations that certify Guidelines compliance. Willingness to provide self-regulation should be one condition for access to advanced forms of the technology.
7. Distribution of molecular manufacturing development capability should be restricted, whenever possible, to responsible actors that have agreed to use the Guidelines. No such restriction need apply to end products of the development process that satisfy the Guidelines.

Specific Design Guidelines

1. Any self-replicating device which has sufficient onboard information to describe its own manufacture should encrypt it such that any replication error will randomize its blueprint.
2. Encrypted MNT device instruction sets should be utilized to discourage irresponsible proliferation and piracy.
3. Mutation (autonomous and otherwise) outside of sealed laboratory conditions should be discouraged.
4. Replication systems should generate audit trails.
5. MNT device designs should incorporate provisions for built-in safety mechanisms, such as:
   • Absolute dependence on a single artificial fuel source or artificial "vitamins" that don't exist in any natural environment
   • Making devices that are dependent on broadcast transmissions for replication or in some cases operation
   • Routing control signal paths throughout a device, so that subassemblies do not function independently
   • Programming termination dates into devices, and
   • Other innovations in laboratory or device safety technology developed specifically to address the potential dangers of MNT.
6. MNT developers should adopt systematic security measures to avoid unplanned distribution of their designs and technical capabilities.

The development principles described are noble and understandable as they are written from within the industry. We believe, however, that the principles need to be taken further into law, not guidance. For example, the principle of self governance works for some professions, but nanotechnology may alter the world as we know it and life as we cherish it. We cannot leave this to self governance.

We do applaud the Specific Guidelines and ask that they be bolstered with every development. In particular, Guideline 5 outlines specific measures to be taken to ensure safety. These have to be continually updated to reflect the advances of the technologies and we must have laws and enforcement crafted around them to protect humanity and the world.