KONP supports the use of personal health data in research, service planning and the development of new technologies when in the public interest and when ethics and human rights are put first. We believe that the exploitation of our health data for profit should be resisted as actively as the privatisation of the NHS. In addition, Big Tech and the organisations that use our data to develop and Artificial Intelligence should be regulated so that the interests of people are put before profit.
NEW
Three new articles
Five things you should know about the new Data Use and Access Bill
NHS England and successive governments have seen digitalisation and its technologies as a means of solving the problems of the NHS. These two, linked papers look specifically at the implications of Cloud technologies, both for the NHS and globally.
Part 1 ‘Public clouds’, what they are, how they work and what they mean for the
NHS
Part 2 Global implications of the use of Big Tech and their ‘clouds’
SELECTED WORKING GROUP PAPERS
- 5 reasons why our personal data is under threat – a brief introduction to the topic.
- What threats does ‘Big Tech’ pose for our personal health data:
A brief article outlining how it’s not just our data privacy that is at risk when Big Tech gain access to NHS data. These corporations are also – and increasingly – taking ownership of the knowledge generated from our data, allowing them to gain unsanctioned control over future healthcare developments.. Read here. - Labour’s Industrial Strategy and Harnessing Data for Public Good
There is just a single mention of data protection in Labour’s Industrial Strategy: “a Labour government will stand up for the democratic, privacy and security rights of UK citizens”. Read here about our concerns relating to data in the broader context of Labour’s plans. - The Government is looking to introduce ‘modern regulation’ to govern technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as AI. ‘Modern regulation’ will mean weaker statutory control of these technologies and a reduced regulatory burden for the private sector. See The NHS, governance and the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
FURTHER RESOURCES
For other papers and information see our Resources section
DIGITALISATION AI AND THE NHS
- Digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the NHS workforce
- Summary of AI Talking Therapies (with thanks to Paul Atkinson)
- The Tony Blair Institute, AI and the future of the NHS
Paper from the KONP working group which highlights concerns about the direction of travel that the new government may take following a report from the influential Tony Blair Institute, which argues that economic growth is paramount and depends on partnership with the private sector in order to grasp the opportunities offered by AI.