Published on PublicTechnology.net (https://publictechnology.net)

Home > Rights groups question whether plans for NHS data store are ‘appropriate, lawful and just’

Rights groups question whether plans for NHS data store are ‘appropriate, lawful and just’

Written by Liam Kirkaldy on 22 May 2020 in News
News

Signatories including Liberty and Open Knowledge Foundation call for greater transparency

Credit: Michael Mandiberg [1]/CC BY-SA 2.0  [2]

A group of digital rights organisations have expressed concern over plans for a new NHS Covid-19 data store, warning health and social secretary Matt Hancock that “transparency has been lacking”.

The government first announced plans for the data store in March, in an attempt to track the spread of Covid-19 and how it will impact on the NHS and social care services.

But in an open letter, 27 organisations and advocates said that the plans, based on Microsoft, Google, Palantir, Faculty and Amazon assisting in the development of the data store, would give private partners control over sensitive data.


Related content

  • MPs and peers call for urgent data-protection law for contact-tracing app [3]
  • UK border officials to ask travellers to download contact-tracing app on arrival [4]
  • Coronavirus: can we keep track of our sensitive data? [5]

 


The signatories, which include Liberty, the Open Knowledge Foundation and Big Brother Watch, warned the “opacity in which these agreements are made does not help [in] building this trust”.

The letter said: “Emergencies require rapid responses, but these responses should also be appropriate, lawful and just. It’s unlikely that the NHS’s current plan to build a large-scale Covid-19 data store meets those principles.  We understand the need for better health information, but maintain that the public should be consulted throughout the development of the datastore and be able to obtain adequate information about the data-sharing agreements in place. “

It added: “We urge the NHS to provide answers to all of the questions below and to not proceed with the development of the data store until the public has had a chance to have their say.”

 

About the author

Liam Kirkaldy is online editor at PublicTechnology sister publication Holyrood [6], where this story first appeared. He tweets as @HolyroodLiam [7].

Tags
Cloud [8]
Data [9]
Categories
Public order, justice and rights [10]
Society and welfare [11]
#block-views-events-popup-block{ position: fixed; bottom: -30px; padding: 25px 22px; width: 360px; max-width: calc(100% - 30px); text-align: center; border-radius: 0 4px 0 0; color: #fff; background: rgb(0, 170, 200) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -ms-transform: translateY(100%); -webkit-transform: translateY(100%); transform: translateY(100%); -webkit-transition: all .35s ease-in-out; transition: all .35s ease-in-out; z-index: 2; } #block-views-events-popup-block.show{ bottom:10px; transform:none; -webkit-transform:none; } #block-views-events-popup-block a.btn.btn--outlineWhite { border-color: #fff; color: #fff; background: transparent; } #block-views-events-popup-block .events-popup-close{ position: absolute; cursor: pointer; top: -30px; left: 0; height: 32px; padding: 7px 20px; border-radius: 4px 4px 0 0; color: #fff; background: rgb(0, 170, 200) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 13px; } #block-views-events-popup-block .events-popup-close .icon--events-popupClose{ padding-left: 10px; font-family: inherit !important; } #block-views-events-popup-block .icon--events-popupClose:before { content: ''; width: 12px; height: 12px; margin: -1px 7px 0 0; background: url(https://www.publictechnology.net/sites/www.publictechnology.net/themes/pubtech_override/img/close-thin.svg) center no-repeat; background-size: 10px; vertical-align: middle; position: absolute; left: 10px; top: 10px; } #block-views-events-popup-block .views-field.views-field-nid .field-content{ display:none; }

jQuery(window).load(function() { if(jQuery('#event-popup-nid').length){ var eventId = jQuery('#event-popup-nid').text(); jQuery.cookie('eventPageId',eventId); var countCurrentValue = parseInt(jQuery.cookie('countCurrentName')) || 1; var combinedValueValue = eventId+'-'+countCurrentValue; var countCurrentValue = parseInt(jQuery.cookie('countCurrentName')) || 1; jQuery.cookie('combinedValueName',combinedValueValue); const result = combinedValueValue.split('-'); if( result[1] <= 3 ) { jQuery('section#block-views-events-popup-block').addClass('show'); countCurrentValue = parseInt(result[1]) + 1; jQuery.cookie('countCurrentName',countCurrentValue); combinedValueValue = eventId+'-'+countCurrentValue; jQuery.cookie('combinedValueName',combinedValueValue); } jQuery('.events-popup-close').click(function(){ jQuery('section#block-views-events-popup-block').removeClass('show'); }); } });

(function(e,t,o,n,p,r,i){e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias=n;e[e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias]=e[e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias]||function(){(e[e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias].q=e[e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias].q||[]).push(arguments)};e[e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias].l=(new Date).getTime();r=t.createElement("script");r.src=o;r.async=true;i=t.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];i.parentNode.insertBefore(r,i)})(window,document,"https://diffuser-cdn.app-us1.com/diffuser/diffuser.js","vgo"); vgo('setAccount', '253344499'); vgo('setTrackByDefault', true); vgo('process');
Close
Sign up for our free daily newsletter
Register here
6472
Dods PublicTechnology.net is a Merit Group plc title

Quick Links

  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Features
  • Private Sector Insight
  • Cyber Week
  • White Papers
  • Events
  • On Demand Webinars
  • Partner Directory
  • About
  • Contact

Services

Dods People Dods Political Intelligence Dods ResearchDods EventsDods Training

Media & Publishing

PoliticsHome Parliament MagazineHolyroodThe House MagazineCivil Service WorldTraining Journal

About Dods

Dods Group Part of Merit Group Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Advertising Sponsorship
Privacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsAdvertisingSponsorship Subscriptions
  • Registered office: 11th Floor
  • The Shard
  • 32 London Bridge Street
  • London SE1 9SG
  • Company number: 04267888
  • © Merit Group plc 2021

Source URL: https://publictechnology.net/articles/news/rights-groups-question-whether-plans-nhs-data-store-are-%E2%80%98appropriate-lawful-and-just%E2%80%99

Links
[1] https://www.flickr.com/photos/theredproject/
[2] https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
[3] https://www.publictechnology.net/articles/news/mps-and-peers-call-urgent-data-protection-law-contact-tracing-app
[4] https://www.publictechnology.net/articles/news/uk-border-officials-ask-travellers-download-contact-tracing-app-arrival
[5] https://www.publictechnology.net/articles/features/coronavirus-can-we-keep-track-our-sensitive-data
[6] https://www.holyrood.com/
[7] https://twitter.com/HolyroodLiam?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
[8] https://publictechnology.net/tags/cloud
[9] https://publictechnology.net/tags/data
[10] https://publictechnology.net/categories/public-order-justice-and-rights
[11] https://publictechnology.net/categories/society-and-welfare