NHS Palantir deal raises patient data privacy concerns, MPs warn
8 reported
A Guardian editorial reports that MPs on the UK parliament’s science, innovation and technology committee have warned that Palantir has become an “unacceptable point of weakness” in the NHS. The editorial states that alarm bells rang last month when it emerged that Palantir engineers could gain “unlimited access” to identifiable NHS patient data, which was previously only supposed to be available to those involved in a patient’s care or with informed consent. The editorial notes that Nicola Byrne, the government’s national data guardian, believed the NHS had broken its promise that its £330m deal with Palantir would limit identifiable patient information to NHS staff with a legitimate need. The MPs’ report recommends that ministers activate the February 2027 break clause in the contract, ending the relationship and moving to an in-house or UK-owned provider. The editorial also mentions a new £1.8bn digital ID system, which the committee views with skepticism and considers mandatory adoption wrongheaded.
What’s reported
Palantir engineers could gain “unlimited access” to identifiable NHS patient data, according to the editorial.
The NHS’s £330m deal with Palantir was supposed to limit identifiable patient information to NHS staff with a legitimate need.
Nicola Byrne is the government’s national data guardian.
MPs on the science, innovation and technology committee warned that Palantir had become an “unacceptable point of weakness.”
The committee’s report recommends activating the February 2027 break clause in the Palantir contract.
The editorial states that Palantir’s co-founder, Peter Thiel, has disparaged the idea of a national health service.
The government claims a new £1.8bn digital ID system would make public services quicker, easier, and more secure to access.
The committee is skeptical of the digital ID system’s successful launch and views mandatory adoption as wrongheaded.
Key figures
Nicola Byrne, government’s national data guardian
Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir
Sources: The Guardian
