Google’s DeepMind NHS data deal deemed illegal by UK government advisory body
A pioneering data sharing deal between the NHS and Google’s DeepMind artificial intelligence division could be about to unravel following reports that the personal health data of some 1.6m individuals had been shared to develop a Streams app for the early detection of a Kidney ailment.
Google’s DeepMind NHS data deal deemed illegal by UK government advisory body
Criticising the nature of this relationship the National Data Guardian, the UK government’s data safety advisory body, stated that in its view there was no legal basis for the transfer of records on this scale – potentially scuppering future collaborations.
Now Sky News has fueled the controversy by publishing in full a letter penned by the NDG to the Royal Free NHS Trust and DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman warning them of its concerns.
Full copies of National Data Guardian's letter sent to @SkyNews warning of legal basis re: @DeepMindAI + 1.6 million NHS patients' data. pic.twitter.com/QjLRDGs1xr
— Alexander J. Martin (@lexanderjmartin) May 15, 2017
Specifically the letter relays the opinion of Dame Fiona Caldicott who wrote that as the patient records were used to test the app and not provide direct patient care. It read: "It would not have been within the reasonable expectation of patients that their records would have been shared for this purpose."
This directly contradicts assertions made by both DeepMind and the Royal Free Hospital that their work was exempt from explicit patient consent as their app delivered ‘direct patient care’.
Proponents of DeepMind's involvement in NHS services claim that it could usher in the much heralded paperless office, a lofty goal which has seen DeepMind double its number of health staff.