system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Trek] Why doesn't the universal translator carry the stigma that cybernetic enhancements seem to? Why is it so sabotage-proof?

Some background information, apparently the universal translator sits in your ear canal (DS9: "Little Green Men"). In TOS it's established that it reads brainwaves, and it's obviously *very* good at doing so.


If it gets a pass on the cyborg stigma, what makes it unassailable from a security standpoint? For example we saw Geordi's visor get bugged, and UT technology is much much more common. Couldn't it be used to at least effectively spy on everyone's thoughts?
gpt
1. There is no stigma to cybernetic enhancements. Geordi has one without issue. Nog has one without issue. Martok infact stands out because he *doesn't* get a cybernetic replacement.

2. UT isn't a cybernetic enhancement. It is an accessory. It is not surgically or biologically connected to the individual. It is as separate and distinct as using a hypospray or tricorder.

3. *Ferengi* UT's sit in your ear canal. We don't know the specifics on how Federation UT's work, especially since they apparently work on alien individuals that certainly don't have one.

4. It isn't unassailable from a security standpoint. The fact that there are languages that the UT can't process, or takes some time to process, is a known weakness. It also has problems with untranslatable works in languages it otherwise does know. These are explicit issues and limitations with the UT, even if no one decided to exploit those weaknesses for malicious reasons. Theoretically you could communicate covertly using a language or method of communication that the UT can't translate and discuss nefarious activities, but no one has tried it.