Doctors told to give Palantir's NHS data platform the cold shoulder

British doctors are being urged to pull back from the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) after their union called on members to stop non-clinical use of the Palantir-built system. The British Medical Association's (BMA) recommendation follows the US spy-tech firm's recent work with US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). …

[lvd]

How utterly naive

"In 2023, an NHS England official likened patient data in the FDP to information in an online Microsoft Word document. They told The Register that the cloud operator has access to that document, but the user would not expect Microsoft to look at it."

"Would not expect..." Durr, this is Trump's politburo we're talking about here. If his apparatchiks want the data, they'll get it, no matter how many mealy-mouthed platitudes they lob at the UK government about security and separation and right-shored storage, yada yada.

I just don't get this weapons-grade stupidity. Just how naive are these people?

[Guy de Loimbard]

Re: How utterly naive

Just how naive are these people?

Very!

Do not underestimate the prowess of those sales teams to identify the weakest/easiest link to get a sale.

Promise the world, at potentially low rates, to then mine, mine and continually mine that data!!

[ChoHag]

Re: How utterly naive

But that data's mine!

[Jeff 11]

Re: How utterly naive

Naive isn’t the word…

“The soon-to-be-defunct quango previously said no company involved in the FDP would be able to access health and care data without the explicit permission of the NHS”

Not allowed is not the same as not able to - especially for a company based in the US.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: How utterly naive

You do réalise th5a

[Phil O'Sophical]

Re: How utterly naive

Just how naive are these people?

I've lost count of the number of times I've pointed out security issues when misusing someone's code, only to get the responses "but why would anyone do that?" or "that's not very likely to happen in real life, is it?" Most people, even supposedly senior developers, just don't get it.

[BartyFartsLast]

Re: How utterly naive

I've had that conversation too.

They weren't at all concerned that their big name accounting company allowed remote desktop access with only simple passwords and no MFA because similar idiotic "it'll never happen to us" logic

[JohnMurray]

Re: How utterly naive

They're not stupid.

So a need exists to look beyond what is being said, to what will likely be done/is being done.

The policy of the sharing of govt data across the entirety of govt departments applies here!

No matter what the patient believes, the govt believes that it pays for the NHS so the data is the govts.

[big_D]

Re: How utterly naive

In this area, I think naivety is inversely proportional to the size of the "gifts" a person receives.

[Dr Fidget]

Re: How utterly naive

It doesn't matter what they say today, they can always change their minds tomorrow!

Just like ID cards - even if you trust this Government not to misuse the data (hah!) - there's nothing to stop any future Government from changing the rules.

[Guy de Loimbard]

Be under no illusion

Any information within any Palantir platform, will go through link analysis and sifting of Data Sets to generate more "products" or "services" that Palantir can sell again, repackaged into something else.

Think, as an example, of how the ubiquitous "Credit Reference Agencies" do much the same thing with regard to information that is freely shared to their platform by the various online transaction markets you use:

Looking for insurance quotes?

Looking at Credit Cards?

Looking at Mortgages?

Updated your address for your Bank

Bought a new broadband package or provider?

All information the various Credit Reference Agencies are mining and reselling, generally to local or national governments as another service.

Do you think Palantir will be any different?

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Be under no illusion

But without all this dara how will Palantir and Mr Thiel be able to spot the next Antichrist?

[cyberdemon]

Re: Be under no illusion

Look in a mirror?

(Oh wait. He probably has no reflection)

[TimMaher]

Re: No reflection

Could we expose him to daylight?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Be under no illusion

Of course Palantir will be different. There are multiple credit rating agencies, so if they're not careful a fair market could break out.

Palantir has been granted contracts with no competition. The government has deliberately avoided any possibility of there being competition. Totally different.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Be under no illusion

That's a good thing. If palantir were forced to compete then grubby considerations of profit seeking would sully their pure public service ethos

[eta-beta]

Axis of evil

Palantir must be dismantled. They are behind too much evil!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Axis of evil

Not just dismantled, but dispersed to the four winds...

... and other companies.

[elsergiovolador]

Contempt

Look at the contempt subsequent corrupt governments have towards British people.

To the point that government don't trust any British firm to handle patients data.

I mean.

And security agencies diligently take tax payer money and then buy doughnuts and fall into a coma.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Contempt

It is ONE government.

Remember- whichever party wins the election, the Government gets in.

Even they don't consider themselves legitimate, or they'd not be working tirelessly to dismantle checks and balances and establish a grip over the populace. Legitimate governments don't need authoritarian power.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Contempt

"To the point that government don't trust any British firm to handle patients data."

It is pretty much guaranteed that in the UK the GP Practice that you are registered with is a "firm" (a commercial business such as a Partnership or Limited Company) and obviously that "firm" will be handling patient data.

[elsergiovolador]

Re: Contempt

You know what I mean.

[BartyFartsLast]

Re: Contempt

Do you trust your GP to keep your data secure?

Are you sure you can?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Contempt

"Do you trust your GP to keep your data secure?"

No, they have repeatedly unlawfully shared my data for 10+ years.

Getting any authority to take action about this however is an exercise in futility.

[EnviableOne]

Re: Contempt

The problem is that GP records used to exist in two companies' systems, both UK-based and owned.

EMIS's self-titled system EMIS Web and TPP's SystmOne.

EMIS was bought out by UnitedHealth's subsidiary Optum in 2022, and re-branded in 2025

TPP still is.

Both are bad as each other, but they have a duopoly...

[KayJ]

...and anyone who looked into the stone afterwards without great strength of will would see only Nye Bevan's hands withering in flame.

[Like a badger]

Ah yes, good old Nye Bevan, who opposed British rearmament in the 1930s, opposed the unity wartime government, and who openly stated his desire for a one party state. Seems Palantir would be something he'd approve of.

[Androgynous Cow Herd]

In the US

In theory, anyway - this sort of linking of patient data would contravene HIPAA.

Now, of course, under current administration, I am not sure if that even means anything anymore.

[ecofeco]

Re: In the US

Have I got bad news for you.

https://cbs12.com/news/local/jupiter-medical-center-experiences-possible-data-breach-due-to-third-party-corporation-cerner-florida-news-third-party-electronic-health-record-vendor-cerner-corporation-medical-record-numbers-doctors-diagnoses-medicines-test-january-21-2026

https://www.argusobserver.com/free_access/valley-family-notifies-patients-of-data-breach-with-third-party-vendor/article_da6244c7-9712-432f-b6eb-4164d4378c31.html

https://healthexec.com/topics/health-it/cybersecurity/ai-driven-medical-benefits-servicer-hit-data-breach

[Anonymous Coward]

BMJ - ICE

So the bed wetters at the BMJ, don't want to use Palantir. Because ICE are using it in America to enforce their laws????

[Blue Shirt Guy]

Re: BMJ - ICE

Peter is that you?

[Derezed]

Re: BMJ - ICE

Or more because they fear what the data collected will be used for. Note they will use their product where there is a clinical need.

[BartyFartsLast]

Re: BMJ - ICE

Obviously morals and doing the right thing for patients aren't important for you, but I'd expect that even you could at least manage to understand the reasons why the BMJ have gone as far as to make that recommendation.

[desht]

Re: BMJ - ICE

Unlikely. This particular coward has obviously had a swastika installed where their brain used to be.

[Chinamissing]

Re: BMJ - ICE

The irony of writing about doing the right things for patients and mentioning the BMA in the same sentence is spectacular. They have not cared about patients for years now. This is nothing to do with concern for patients and entirely due to the union deciding to deflect from their own utter contempt for patients.

[sabroni]

Re: the bed wetters at the BMJ

aren't so embarrassed by their opinions that they hide their names.

Get back to us when you're "brave" enough to actually post with your handle.

[Rivalroger]

Re: BMJ - ICE

Sorry, I can't resist feeding this troll!

Ermm. I don't think you can accuse the British Medical Journal of being bedwetters whether you think the leadership of the British Medical Association are or not is entirely your opinion.

[Adair]

Economics 101, ...

as a matter of government SOP, where ever possible spend the money internally, not abroad. And, always keep a 'golden share'.

But also, never underestimate the combined power of greed and stupidity.

[zeptepi]

Non-clinical use?

So the BMA will boycott non-clinical use, but continue with clinical use?

There is no clear distinction: the FDP's federation of distributed chunks of health data into a useable clinical record is wholly dependent on identification and linkage of data from one data subject. Much of this linkage uses time and location metadata, which some consider to be demographic data and so non-clinical.

However, time, location and identity are exactly the metadata that Palantir will then reuse from the FDP's "clinical" data for evil purposes such as ICE.

They can deny it all they like, but who will believe them?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Non-clinical use?

They basically said it would be stupid to not use the installed system for critical clinical use, but as soon as possible, to ween themselves off it.

Do you want patients to die because the doctor refuses to look up their records?

Note, they are talking about locations that already have the Palantir stuff installed.

[BebopWeBop]

Of course it should read English and Welsh - not British.

[TimMaher]

Re:- English and Welsh

And don’t forget Cornish, Irish, Scottish and Welsh Gaelic.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: English and Welsh

Again, England only.

Nothing to do with Wales, Scotland or Ireland.

[Anonymous Coward]

No, just England.

NHS Wales has nothing to do with this NHS England deal

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah yes, Palantir - "founded to kill communists". Bit awkward that the NHS is considered a 'socialist' construct, and that socialist=communist at Palantir HQ.

For mention of an existing UK alternative that HMG are well aware of, see https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/12/palantir-is-ice/#robo-mengele

[Anonymous Coward]

NHS isn't just Socialist

Nationalised health ensures there is actual free-market competition in the healthcare private sector (as without it customers have no option to refuse to use any of the market players- or they do but their only alternative is death).

It also means we- and employers- pay less for healthcare, keeping more money free to circulate in the economy, and have a more productive workforce.

The NHS isn't just a Socialist construct, it's also great from a Free-market Capitalist point of view too.

I mean the implementation can have its problems sometimes but I'll not hold that against the concept.

It's only bad for groups who want to exploit that non-free market to rinse you for cash.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: NHS isn't just Socialist

Fair point. But to Americans and Palantir, it's considered socialist / commie / marxist

[EnviableOne]

Re: NHS isn't just Socialist

How many Americans go bankrupt due to medical bills, or refuse an ambulance on cost grounds....

[heyrick]

So remind me again, why exactly is the UK too incompetent to analyse it's own data that they feel it necessary to hand over loads of it to a potentially hostile regime that utterly (in every way imaginable) fails to respect even basic data protection? It's not just the sensitive medical information....remind yourself who handled the census. It may be that a foreign power knows more about Britain and its people than the British government (it would seem that there are plenty of Jedi Knights).