Privacy Concerns Raised Over £330 Million NHS Data Contract to Tech Giant Palantir

Experts say the move raises fears about patient data security and privacy and feeds into ‘deeper, systemic issues’ in public-private health data partnerships.

The logo of U.S. software company Palantir Technologies in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2020. Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

Concerns have been raised over the use of patient data in light of Palantir’s involvement in a multi-million pound NHS data platform deal.

On Tuesday, it was announced that a group led by Palantir had secured the £330 million contract to provide a shared software system, which the government claims will bring down waiting lists, currently at 7.7 million, the highest since records began in 2007.

However, despite the NHS’s assurances, the decision to award Palantir, a company with military ties, a huge contract to handle the UK’s health data raises serious privacy concerns.

Co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel and Alex Karp, the data analytics company initially focused on selling software to U.S. government agencies and allies. It has been a partner to the Ministry of Defense for over a decade.

Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, delivers a speech during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 21, 2016. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The NHS said it will roll out new software from spring next year to deliver what it calls “better joined-up care for millions of patients, help tackle waiting lists and reduce hospital discharge delays.”

The new tool, known as the Federated Data Platform, will join up key information currently held in separate NHS systems

After the tender process, the contract to provide the software was awarded to a group led by Palantir Technologies UK.  Palantir will be supported by Accenture, PwC, NECS and Carnall Farrar, NHS England said.

In the first contract year, investment is expected to be at least £25.6 million. Over the contractual period of seven years, there will be up to £330 million investment in the Federated Data Platform and associated services.

The NHS said that no company involved in the Federated Data Platform can access health and care data without the explicit permission of the NHS.

Palantir Chief Executive Alex Karp told BBC’s “Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg” programme on October 29: “We’re the only company of our size and scale that doesn’t buy your data, doesn’t sell your data, doesn’t transfer it to any other company.

“That data belongs to the Government of the United Kingdom,” he added.

‘Undermine Patient Autonomy’

Subhajit Basu, professor of law and Technology at the University of Leeds School of Law, whose research focuses on critical policy debates surrounding Big Data and health data, told The Epoch Times by email that the move could undermine patient autonomy in controlling their health data.

“The decision by NHS England to entrust Palantir and its partners with a critical health data platform raises immediate concerns about patient data security and privacy and feeds into deeper, systemic issues in public-private health data partnerships,” he said.

“This move exacerbates existing power asymmetries between individuals and data controllers, potentially undermining the foundational principle of patient autonomy in controlling their health data,” he added.

He said that given “Palantir’s extensive ties with global intelligence and military organisations and the political leanings of its founder, one must question the appropriateness and implications of such a partnership.”

“This situation highlights a significant challenge in data protection law: how to balance individual rights and societal benefits in an era where data controllers wield immense power. The fundamental question now facing every NHS patient is whether their health information can remain secure and private under such arrangements,” he added.

‘Allay Worries’

On Wednesday, MPs said they will press Health Secretary Victoria Atkins on the new NHS data platform.

Conservative MP and chairman of the Health and Social Care Committee Steve Brine, said: “Substantial concerns currently exist among the public about their information and the NHS regarding trust, transparency and data security.

“Public concerns can be allayed by more transparency and better communication about what this platform will do and how their data will be used.

“We will be pressing the new Secretary of State about the NHS data platform at a future date.

“The Department has previously acknowledged to us that it needed to do better to communicate the benefits of digital healthcare and to allay worries about the security of data gathered by the NHS.”

‘Eye-Watering Amount’

Dr Latifa Patel, representative body chair at the British Medical Association, branded the decision to award the contract to “a large U.S.-based multinational” as “deeply worrying.”

She added: “This contract is valued at an eye-watering amount – money which is desperately needed for direct care to help patients right now, and other health and social care services which remain in such crisis, not to mention the ongoing workforce shortages.

“Going forward, we cannot, and must not, allow patient data to be exploited. We need to know just how confidential patient data will be used within this data platform and the extent of the role that Palantir, which has commercial interest in this decision, will play.”

The Epoch Times contacted Palantir, the NHS and the Department of Health & Social Care for comment.

Anusuya Lahiri and PA Media contributed to this report.