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Headline could use some help, dang, it's really not representative of the full story: "The contract, known as a data-sharing agreement, was published Friday by

Headline could use some help, dang, it's really not representative of the full story: "The contract, known as a data-sharing agreement, was published Friday by politics website OpenDemocracy and law firm Foxglove alongside similar contracts with Google, Microsoft, and U.K. AI start-up Faculty." "The contracts show Palantir charged only £1 ($1.27) for use of its Foundry data management software while Google offered “technical, advisory and other support” for free." This is about a lot more than just Palantir. And the NHS has been in hot water for handing out sensitive patient data to tech firms before. :/

heavenlyblue 6y ago
They teach you in Project Management in UK universities that one of the biggest IT failures was this project by NHS. Nobody tells you that they've replaced these failures with a £1 data-dumping contract to a dodgy company.
an_opabinia 6y ago
> And the NHS has been in hot water for handing out sensitive patient data to tech firms before. Without the perspective of someone who works in the NHS with Palantir's software, it's impossible to say if the NHS and the public got a good deal.
- mschuster91 6y ago
  No matter how usable and helpful the software is for the front line workers, the fact remains that Palantir has extensive access to the medical and according to the article also criminal history of everyone in the UK. Who can promise that there are no side channels to the USA or no covert exfiltration using "backups" or "integration systems"?
  - nojito 6y ago
    Why would palantir risk their EU business by breaking the trust of the contract and move information to the US?
    - mschuster91 6y ago
      Because this shit has literally happened before, only with GE being responsible instead of Palantir. https://www.itpro.co.uk/640090/ge-healthcare-comes-clean-over-nhs-data-leak https://www.itpro.co.uk/640090/ge-healthcare-comes-clean-ove... In other cases, data has been outright sold: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/07/nhs-medical-data-sales-american-pharma-lack-transparency https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/07/nhs-medical... And what do you think why Palantir and the other offer their services for one pound?! It's all about that data. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/google-apple-amazon-nhs-health-data https://www.wired.co.uk/article/google-apple-amazon-nhs-heal...
    - TheOtherHobbes 6y ago
      Because the NHS is about to be sold off as part of Brexit, and they can profit hugely from a slice of that action, while pretending they followed the rules until Brexit was completed.
      - dekhn 6y ago
        I haven't seen any plans to privatize NHS as part of Brexit (and it's not clear why the two would be related, anyway).
        baylisscg 6y ago
        The removal of EU legislation from British law and the UK-US trade deal. With the US demanding it's healthcare and pharma unfettered access to the NHS on terms equivalent to current US not UK standards. The UK is not, technically, slapping a FOR SALE sign on the NHS they've just put themselves in a position where pretty much anyone and everyone can demand a slice. Of course this assumes that the current gonverment doesn't view the NHS as an asset to be strip mined which I'm damn sure they do.
        DanBC 6y ago
        > With the US demanding it's healthcare and pharma unfettered access to the NHS on terms equivalent to current US not UK standards. They already have that. Read the Lansley reforms. They mostly don't take it up because they can't afford to run healthcare for the pittance paid by UK government, but there are large bits of the NHS run by non-NHS providers. See for example Priory Group or Cygnet Health Care.

heavenlyblue 6y ago

They teach you in Project Management in UK universities that one of the biggest IT failures was this project by NHS. Nobody tells you that they've replaced these failures with a £1 data-dumping contract to a dodgy company.

an_opabinia 6y ago

> And the NHS has been in hot water for handing out sensitive patient data to tech firms before. Without the perspective of someone who works in the NHS with Palantir's software, it's impossible to say if the NHS and the public got a good deal.

mschuster91 6y ago
No matter how usable and helpful the software is for the front line workers, the fact remains that Palantir has extensive access to the medical and according to the article also criminal history of everyone in the UK. Who can promise that there are no side channels to the USA or no covert exfiltration using "backups" or "integration systems"?
- nojito 6y ago
  Why would palantir risk their EU business by breaking the trust of the contract and move information to the US?
  - mschuster91 6y ago
    Because this shit has literally happened before, only with GE being responsible instead of Palantir. https://www.itpro.co.uk/640090/ge-healthcare-comes-clean-over-nhs-data-leak https://www.itpro.co.uk/640090/ge-healthcare-comes-clean-ove... In other cases, data has been outright sold: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/07/nhs-medical-data-sales-american-pharma-lack-transparency https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/07/nhs-medical... And what do you think why Palantir and the other offer their services for one pound?! It's all about that data. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/google-apple-amazon-nhs-health-data https://www.wired.co.uk/article/google-apple-amazon-nhs-heal...
  - TheOtherHobbes 6y ago
    Because the NHS is about to be sold off as part of Brexit, and they can profit hugely from a slice of that action, while pretending they followed the rules until Brexit was completed.
    - dekhn 6y ago
      I haven't seen any plans to privatize NHS as part of Brexit (and it's not clear why the two would be related, anyway).
      - baylisscg 6y ago
        The removal of EU legislation from British law and the UK-US trade deal. With the US demanding it's healthcare and pharma unfettered access to the NHS on terms equivalent to current US not UK standards. The UK is not, technically, slapping a FOR SALE sign on the NHS they've just put themselves in a position where pretty much anyone and everyone can demand a slice. Of course this assumes that the current gonverment doesn't view the NHS as an asset to be strip mined which I'm damn sure they do.
        DanBC 6y ago
        > With the US demanding it's healthcare and pharma unfettered access to the NHS on terms equivalent to current US not UK standards. They already have that. Read the Lansley reforms. They mostly don't take it up because they can't afford to run healthcare for the pittance paid by UK government, but there are large bits of the NHS run by non-NHS providers. See for example Priory Group or Cygnet Health Care.