Alan Winters, director of the Trade Policy Observatory at Sussex University, has warned that NHS patient data could be exploited by US tech companies under a trade deal with the United States.
US negotiators want clauses on data sharing and algorithms inserted into a trade deal that could then be used to capture around £10 billion a year in NHS patient records.
The leaked cache of official government files on private trade discussions between UK civil servants and the US was revealed by Jeremy Corbyn last week. In these documents, “the free flow of data” was highlighted as a “top priority” for the US in any future trade talks. The dilution of data privacy rules could also be urged by the US after Brexit.
Full story on The Times, 2 December 2019.
