https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/04/uk_governement_set_to_extract/ [user] [user] Sign in / up The Register(r) -- Biting the hand that feeds IT [magn] [burg] [burg] Topics Security Security All SecurityCyber-crimePatchesResearchCSO (X) Off-Prem Off-Prem All Off-PremEdge + IoTChannelPaaS + IaaSSaaS (X) On-Prem On-Prem All On-PremSystemsStorageNetworksHPCPersonal Tech (X) Software Software All SoftwareAI + MLApplicationsDatabasesDevOpsOSesVirtualization (X) Offbeat Offbeat All OffbeatDebatesColumnistsScienceGeek's GuideBOFHLegalBootnotesSite NewsAbout Us (X) Vendor Voice Vendor Voice Vendor Voice All Vendor VoiceAmazon Web Services (AWS) Business Transformation CofenseGoogle Cloud for StartupsGoogle WorkspaceOutsystemsRapid7 Supermicro (X) Resources Resources Whitepapers Webinars Newsletters [databases] Databases 39 comment bubble on white UK government set to extract hospital data to Palantir system without patient consent 39 comment bubble on white 'You'll be hearing from us,' say privacy campaigners who previously forced the government to back down icon Lindsay Clark Fri 4 Nov 2022 // 15:15 UTC # The UK government is set to extract patient-identifiable data from NHS hospital systems and share this with its data platform based on technology from Palantir, a move that seems set to provoke another legal challenge. Without consulting patients or giving them the choice of opting out, NHS England and NHS Improvement -- the non-departmental government body which runs the NHS in England -- has instructed NHS Digital to gather the data for the purpose of understanding and reducing the crisis in treatment waiting times resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In NHS Digital board meeting papers (see Faster Data Flow - 3.1.2 - on page 163), NHS England instructs NHS Digital to "collect patient level identifiable data pertaining to admission, inpatient, discharge and outpatient activity from acute care settings on a daily basis." [databases] The move is an expansion of NHS England's use of Palantir, which had been subject to the threat of a judicial review in 2021. Under legal pressure, the government caved in and agreed not to extend Palantir's contract beyond the pandemic without consulting the public. [databases] [databases] The judicial review was set to be brought by the news website openDemocracy, backed by tech campaign group Foxglove. Speaking to The Register, Foxglove director Cori Crider said: "We're very concerned that this latest move to force more patient data into Palantir has been done with zero public input or consent. That's not what we were told would happen in our case, and we're seriously concerned it's unlawful. The government will be hearing from us shortly." [databases] In the board papers, NHS England directs NHS Digital to use Foundry, a Palantir product for the collection. While NHS England owns the contractual relationship with Palantir, the new instruction creates "a complex relationship" where, in terms of data protection law, NHS Digital will be the data controller for the collection but will use NHS England as a data processor and Palantir will be a sub-processor, the document said. NHS England said that patients would not be allowed to block the transfer of their data under the National Data Opt-outs programme since the data was due to be "anonymized in accordance with the Information Commissioner Office's Anonymisation Code of Practice before being released." [databases] However, the same document talks about the data being pseudonymized "to provide daily services" under the plan. In February 2022, the country's information watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), published draft guidance on pseudonymization [PDF], that said "...personal data which have undergone pseudonymization, which could be attributed to a natural person by the use of additional information should be considered to be information on an identifiable natural person..." The guidance followed the introduction of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, the local implementation of which (the UK GDPR) is under review in the UK following Brexit. The proposed replacement - the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (DPDIB) - is still progressing through Parliament. * UK government refuses public review before launch of NHS data platform * Decisions on health data sharing should not be taken by politicians, citizen juries find * NHS data platform procurement delayed for a second time * NSO claims 'more than 5' EU states use Pegasus spyware In a Twitter thread explaining the issues with NHS England's approach Phil Booth, coordinator of campaign group medConfidential, said: "The fact is that patients have a #RightToObject to the #processing of their #PersonalData, so - while @NHSEngland may want to ignore people's opt-outs... and contorts itself to say their data's not 'confidential patient information' - the law(s) says otherwise." An NHS England spokesperson said: "By collecting data in a more streamlined way the NHS is better able to plan and allocate resources to maximise outcomes for patients, whilst ensuring that data control remains with the NHS at all times. Ultimately, it will help all NHS organizations to better understand their waiting lists and pressures in near real time, work as systems, and the burden of manual reporting on staff will be significantly reduced." There are currently a record 6.3 million patients waiting for treatment in the NHS in England, with 2.54 million patients waiting more than 18 weeks. The median waiting times remain "significantly higher" than pre-COVID levels, NHS England said, while a hidden backlog of patients yet to present with conditions may be even greater. In the board papers, NHS England calls the new Palantir data initiative the Faster Data Programme. A separate Federated Data Platform is officially still in the pipeline, although the PS360 million (c $406 million) procurement has been delayed by several months. Palantir is said to have made that competition a "must-win", having recruited Indra Joshi and Harjeet Dhaliwal, key figures in NHS England's data science and AI teams. Palantir has provided technology used by the CIA and controversial US immigration agency ICE. (r) Get our Tech Resources # Share Similar topics * Data Protection * GDPR * Government of the United Kingdom More like these x Similar topics * Data Protection * GDPR * Government of the United Kingdom * Palantir Narrower topics * Cabinet Office * Competition and Markets Authority * Computer Misuse Act * cookies * DCMS * GCHQ * HMRC * Home Office * ICO * NCSC * NHS * RPA Broader topics * European Union * Government * Security * United Kingdom Similar topics # Share 39 comment bubble on white COMMENTS Similar topics * Data Protection * GDPR * Government of the United Kingdom More like these x Similar topics * Data Protection * GDPR * Government of the United Kingdom * Palantir Narrower topics * Cabinet Office * Competition and Markets Authority * Computer Misuse Act * cookies * DCMS * GCHQ * HMRC * Home Office * ICO * NCSC * NHS * RPA Broader topics * European Union * Government * Security * United Kingdom TIP US OFF Send us news --------------------------------------------------------------------- Other stories you might like Government by Gmail catches up with UK minister... who is reappointed anyway Home Secretary 'nominally in charge' of nation's security apologizes for breach of tech protocols Security1 Nov 2022 | 155 UK facing electricity supply woes after nuclear power stations shut, MPs told Larger and smaller reactors carry risks, island nation failed to keep pace with nuclear fleet closure Science1 Nov 2022 | 223 Brexit dividend? 'Newly independent' UK will be world's 'data hub', claims digital minister Updated Amid inevitable talk of 'red tape' cutting at ruling party conference, data protection experts are concerned Science6 Oct 2022 | 123 The point solution IAM evolution under reform A consolidation of IAM tools, suppliers and managed services providers is changing the default approach Sponsored Feature [databases] UK.gov finds billions in cash for big data contracts Project two years in the making aims to improve public services... or what's left of them Databases26 Oct 2022 | 20 New measurement alert: Liz Truss inspires new Register standard Reg Standards Bureau We didn't have a time unit. That... is... a... disgrace Bootnotes21 Oct 2022 | 154 Liz Truss ousted as UK prime minister, outlived by online lettuce What connects a decaying salad vegetable with something called 'the 1922 Committee'? Enter the wonderful and frightening world of British politics Bootnotes20 Oct 2022 | 371 US executive order a long way from settling EU privacy cases Comment Expect more sequels than Rocky: Europeans' view of 'proportional' very different from US Personal Tech10 Oct 2022 | 16 UK govt launches multibillion procurement for tax agency application services First chunk of mega-frameworks go to market Applications11 Oct 2022 | 5 Business can't make staff submit to video surveillance, says court Chetu ordered to pay restitution for employee's unlawful termination Personal Tech10 Oct 2022 | 76 UK politico proposes site for prototype nuclear fusion plant British minister famed for love of imperial measures picks a spot in center of industrial decline Science5 Oct 2022 | 229 Arm job cuts hit UK harder than global rationalization Anyone remember SoftBank's pledge to double headcount in Britain? Personal Tech5 Oct 2022 | 10 The Register icon Biting the hand that feeds IT About Us* * Contact us * Advertise with us * Who we are Our Websites* * The Next Platform * DevClass * Blocks and Files Your Privacy* * Cookies Policy * Privacy Policy * T's & C's * Do not sell my personal information Situation Publishing Copyright. All rights reserved (c) 1998-2022 no-js