SHOULD Google have its hands on NHS patient data? Three weeks ago, 快猫短视频 revealed that the tech giant鈥檚 AI company DeepMind has access to the identifiable medical information of millions of UK patients through a data-sharing agreement with the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
Now, a 快猫短视频 investigation has found that Google DeepMind deployed a medical app called Streams to monitor kidney conditions without first contacting the relevant regulatory authority. Our investigation raises questions about whether the ethical approval that covers this kind of data transfer should have been obtained, and about the basis under which Royal Free is sharing data with Google DeepMind.
Royal Free says there is a contract in place that governs how the data is handled. 快猫短视频 has been referred to an information-sharing agreement but this may not be enough.
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Other questions concern patient consent. Google has said that each individual patient鈥檚 consent for their data being shared is implied, because it is providing what is known as 鈥渄irect care鈥� to Royal Free鈥檚 patients. But data for the vast majority of individuals at Royal Free who have not had blood tests for kidney disease 鈥� what Streams is concerned with 鈥� has also been shared with DeepMind.
Google and the Royal Free claim they are acting in compliance with the rules. For our full investigation, see .
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淕oogle鈥檚 NHS data deal鈥�