☀️Morning!☀️ There’s been a TON of news in our NHS GP data grab case – here’s the latest for people catching up.

First, we teamed up with five organisations and an MP to take this scheme to court and try to win everyone more time:

ft.com/content/a13225…
Then, the @RCGP and @TheBMA_UK called for a pause to the scheme and said it risked a repeat of the care.data fiasco.

Doctors have weighed in and said this thing needs to be stopped.

Will Hancock listen?
theregister.com/2021/06/04/bma…
There IS no public health without public trust – so we were also v concerned when the gov’t wouldn’t rule out dodgy US tech companies like Palantir being given contracts to manage this giant new pool of confidential patient data:

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9…
And finally, we learned one of the parties we’d be taking to court - @NHSDigital – wants to pause the scheme but was overruled by @MattHancock and @DHSCgovuk.

💥💥

This is a MAJOR schism. The two groups behind the plan now disagree about what to do: bbc.co.uk/news/technolog…
We can beat this, people! But we have to move fast.
🏃🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️💨

If Hancock and DHSC won’t agree to stop this process and change it, we need to go to court in DAYS to get an injunction.

Please, chip in anything you can afford. crowdjustice.com/case/stop-the-…
And in the meantime, if you want to opt out, don't forget this guide: medconfidential.org/how-to-opt-out/

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More from @Foxglovelegal

4 Jun
BREAKING: We’ve built a huge team to take the GP data grab to court – but we need your help.

@JustTreatment, @TheDA_UK, @allthecitizens, @NPCUK, @openDemocracy, and @daviddavisMP are fighting for people’s right to a say in the use of their health record: crowdjustice.com/case/stop-the-…
Time is running out. The deadline to opt out is 23 June. Most people haven’t heard of the scheme. The gov’t hasn’t properly informed or involved patients.

If they don’t fix it, we’ve got to go for an injunction ASAP. We sent an urgent legal letter: ft.com/content/a13225…
Our coalition says the process for scraping 55m people’s confidential health records and putting in a central database has been rushed and unfair – and is unlawful.

Unless the scheme is stopped and changed, we will take the government to court.
Read 12 tweets
3 Jun
CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: #NoPalantir in our NHS!

Today, 52 organisations formed a coalition to tell @BorisJohnson, @MattHancock & the government to #DropPalantir from our NHS.

We’re asking everyone to join us in doing the same: nopalantir.org.uk

[THREAD]
Palantir, whom you might remember from 🍉 cocktail fame, is using COVID-19 to get their hooks into our NHS. They were brought in without public consultation or open procurement, and we had to threaten a lawsuit to get information about their data deal:
Why does this matter?

Time and again Palantir’s tech has been used to harm, not heal. Founded by Trump-backing Peter Thiel, they’ve enabled some of the worst actions of the US surveillance state - from border forces to police.

A firm like that has no place in our NHS.
Read 7 tweets
26 May
⏰BREAKING: HMG quietly rolled out a scheme to seize - & sell access to - the health data of every man, woman, and child in England. Patients weren’t asked.
Legal issues? We think so. So we helped @JustTreatment send a legal letter.
@madhumita29 in @FT: ft.com/content/9fee81…
In many ways, this fight is about the future of the NHS.

The NHS sits atop the most valuable trove of health data in the world. Why? For years, your GP record has been stored not in doctor's scrawled notes but using GP codes, which a computer can 'read'. (h/t @marcus_baw)
This makes NHS health data of *massive* interest to researchers. So far, so good - we all want the NHS to come out of the pandemic stronger.

But there are issues: who gets access? On what terms? Who can patients trust? And who benefits – us, the NHS, or private companies?
Read 7 tweets
30 Mar
📢NEW📢: we've won the Palantir case!

At last, officials admit YOU have a right to a say in long-term deals between the NHS and US tech firms like Palantir.

It only took us a year, thousands of you speaking up, and two court cases with @openDemocracy to get there!
Here’s our write-up by @martyftz and @cori_crider.

They’ve hit pause – they won’t extend Palantir’s NHS role beyond Covid without stopping to consider our rights, and ask.

This is a major step. NHS now says they’ll consult the public.

opendemocracy.net/en/ournhs/weve…
Special mention to our friends at @TBIJ who obtained key emails at the start of this case, showing Palantir wooing NHS execs and UK officials over Davos chats and watermelon cocktails.

thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2021-0…
Read 9 tweets
29 Mar
🔥NEW: You can’t run a government by disappearing message.

1/ When @BorisJohnson texts @MattHancock or @pritipatel over WhatsApp or Signal, he may be breaking UK law.

We've teamed up with @allthecitizens for a legal action.@jimwaterson has the story:

theguardian.com/law/2021/mar/2…
2/ We love @signalapp. (We used to use @WhatsApp lots until Facebook took our data!)

Disappearing messages are great for us, the citizens. They're not appropriate for officials.

Why, you ask?
3/ Simple. The Public Records Act 1958 requires officials to review every message about the formulation of government policy to perform a legal check – in case it needs to be archived for public release.

If the message explodes, the check can never happen.
Read 8 tweets
24 Feb
🚨 NEW: We’ve filed a lawsuit with @openDemocracy defending YOUR right to a say about data deals between the NHS and Big Tech.

@Rowlsmanthorpe has the story, for @SkyNews.

Saddle up, people! 🏇 [THREAD] -

news.sky.com/story/nhs-faci…
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen private firms creep into our public institutions at a shocking rate – through chummy, opaque backdoor deals.

One such deal was with @PalantirTech - a shady data firm that mainly works with the CIA, US cops, and ICE.

opendemocracy.net/en/ournhs/cont…
Last year, the government signed the largest data deal in history between the NHS and giant tech firms – like Palantir and Faculty, a British AI start-up involved with the Vote Leave campaign.

We took legal action and, with your support, forced them to publish the contracts.
Read 8 tweets

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