Amazon is getting access to all of the healthcare
data gathered by the NHS as a part of a deal between the Division of
Well being and Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, in accordance with experiences.
The tie-up, which was first introduced in July, aimed to cut back strain on GPs and pharmacists by offering NHS well being recommendation to customers.
Nonetheless, a authorities contract revealed beneath Freedom of
Info legal guidelines reveals Amazon might entry extra than simply NHS web site knowledge.
In accordance with the Sunday Occasions, the $863bn firm can
entry “all healthcare data” gathered by the NHS, together with “signs,
causes and definitions”. It additionally will get “all associated copyrightable content material and
knowledge and different supplies”, excluding affected person knowledge.
Amazon can use the data to make, promote and
promote “new merchandise, purposes, cloud-based providers and/or distributed
software program” and may share it with third events.
A industrial lawyer, who analysed the contract, advised the
newspaper: “Essentially the most alarming factor is that Amazon isn’t paying something for
this and the info could be very helpful. The NHS is likely one of the leaders on this planet
in amassing this knowledge, so it’s unimaginable actually that it isn't charging for
it.”
A spokesman for NHSX, which is behind the digital
transformation of the well being service, stated: “No affected person knowledge is being supplied
to this firm by the NHS, which takes knowledge privateness extraordinarily critically and
has put applicable safeguards in place.”
Amazon stated the tie-up solely concerned content material already on
the NHS web site.
Nonetheless, Eva Blum-Dumontet of Privateness Worldwide, which
obtained the contract, stated it was problematic that Amazon might revenue from
merchandise it made “utilizing and exploiting” the NHS knowledge. She additionally stated it was
“very worrying” that Amazon “will get to manage how publicity is worded”.
The contract states the federal government “could not difficulty a press
launch or some other publicity in reference to or associated to this settlement
or Amazon’s use of licensor content material with out prior written consent”.
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