The NHS has sparked controversy by awarding a £330m contract to US spy tech company Palantir to create a new data platform, raising immediate concerns about the security and privacy of patient medical records. Palantir, known for its work with intelligence agencies like the CIA and the UK Ministry of Defence, will lead a consortium including Accenture to build the 'federated data platform' (FDP) over five years.
Palantir's founder and chair, Peter Thiel, a libertarian who backed Donald Trump, has previously called for the NHS to be privatised, saying it makes people sick. The company has faced criticism for its role in helping the US immigration enforcement agency (ICE) implement a tough deportation policy, and for supplying technology that allows governments to spy on citizens.
Amnesty International said Palantir's involvement in 'serious human rights abuses' meant NHS England should have rejected the bid. Peter Frankental, Amnesty's business and human rights director, said: 'Palantir is a very troubling choice of service provider for the NHS, given the human rights controversies surrounding the company.' The British Medical Association called the winning bid 'deeply worrying'.
NHS England sought to allay concerns, stressing that the consortium would not access data without explicit consent, that it would retain control of all data, and that GP data would not be included. It said the software would be protected by 'privacy enhancing technology'. However, patients will not be allowed to opt out, as data will be anonymised and used for 'direct patient care'. The Foxglove campaign group said it was ready to launch a legal challenge.
Sam Smith, of MedConfidential, said: 'Whether or not patients will be able to opt out is among the most important of the many unanswered questions about this £330m data project.' Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, described the platform as 'game-changing', adding that clinicians would be able to access real-time data to improve care and cut waiting times.
