11 votes

Amazon has been given free access to healthcare information collected by the NHS as part of a contract with the government.

Posted by elcuello
Tags: healthcare, nhs, united kingdom, amazon, business, data, author.amy walker, source.the guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/dec/08/nhs-gives-amazon-free-use-of-health-data-under-alexa-advice-deal

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Title
NHS gives Amazon free use of health data under Alexa advice deal
Authors
Amy Walker
Published
Dec 8 2019
Word count
481 words

8 comments

  1. [5]
    zlsa
    Link
    In the second paragraph: Emphasis mine. Emphasis mine. This is just the NHS giving Amazon a license to use copyrighted material, nothing more. There is absolutely nothing here about patient data...

    In the second paragraph:

    The material, which excludes patient data, could allow the multinational technology company to make, advertise and sell its own products.

    Emphasis mine.

    But responses to freedom of information requests, published by the Sunday Times, showed the contract will also allow the company access to information on symptoms, causes and definitions of conditions, and “all related copyrightable content and data and other materials”.

    Emphasis mine.

    This is just the NHS giving Amazon a license to use copyrighted material, nothing more. There is absolutely nothing here about patient data or anything of the sort, and the headline is (as far as I'm concerned) bordering on fearmongering.

    11 votes
    1. [4]
      elcuello
      Link Parent
      I don't really care if it's fear mongering. I do not trust them and if that's the tactic to get people to wake up and take this seriously so be it.

      I don't really care if it's fear mongering. I do not trust them and if that's the tactic to get people to wake up and take this seriously so be it.

      1 vote
      1. [3]
        teaearlgraycold
        Link Parent
        If people are going to get upset with Amazon why not have them get upset at something real? There's plenty of upsetting things coming from the company to pick from.

        If people are going to get upset with Amazon why not have them get upset at something real? There's plenty of upsetting things coming from the company to pick from.

        3 votes
        1. [2]
          elcuello
          Link Parent
          I think the problem right now is that people aren't upset wether its real or not.

          I think the problem right now is that people aren't upset wether its real or not.

          1. callmedante
            Link Parent
            You can't seriously be suggesting that we should get upset about something that's not real. Yeah, I clicked on the link because of the headline (which is the definition of click-bait), but the...

            You can't seriously be suggesting that we should get upset about something that's not real.

            Yeah, I clicked on the link because of the headline (which is the definition of click-bait), but the information in the article doesn't concern me. Amazon is granted access to information that is already available on the NHS website. Unless the article is missing vital information which you happen to have, there's nothing in there worth raising pitchforks.

            I happen to not like the direction Amazon is going, but raising a fuss over nothing dilutes the message about what they're actually doing.

            2 votes
  2. [3]
    top
    Link
    I don't trust them to ethically use the data. I'm not sure I trust them to legally use the data.

    I don't trust them to ethically use the data. I'm not sure I trust them to legally use the data.

    4 votes
    1. DanBC
      Link Parent
      By "the data" we mean this website: https://www.nhs.uk/ We do not mean patient data. The problem isn't that patient data is being used, it's that the government didn't get market value for the IP.

      By "the data" we mean this website: https://www.nhs.uk/

      We do not mean patient data.

      The problem isn't that patient data is being used, it's that the government didn't get market value for the IP.

      4 votes
    2. elcuello
      Link Parent
      I don't trust a word they're saying partly because they haven't given me ANY reason to trust them and partly because the people delivering this message don't know what the fuck they're talking...

      I don't trust a word they're saying partly because they haven't given me ANY reason to trust them and partly because the people delivering this message don't know what the fuck they're talking about and the wide range of consequences these deal have.

      2 votes
  3. Comment removed by site admin
    Link