Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Anthony Cuthbertson

Project Nightingale: Google secretly given access to medical data of millions of Americans

Reuters

Google has secretly amassed the health records of millions of patients in the US through a partnership with the country’s second largest healthcare provider.

The initiative, dubbed “Project Nightingale,” gives the technology giant access to private medical details, names and addresses without having to notify the patients or the doctors. 

Under the deal with health firm Ascension, access to data was first granted to Google last year and the program has since been expanded to 21 American states.

Google said such access was “standard practice” and will assist with the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for doctors, as well as improve the management of patient data.

“All of Google’s work with Ascension adheres to industry-wide regulations regarding patient data, and come with strict guidance on data privacy, security and usage,” Google wrote in a blog post.

Google added that the arrangement did not allow the data to be combined with existing consumer data collected by the firm.

“Modernising the healthcare industry is a critically important task, with the ultimate result not just digital transformation, but also improving patient outcomes,” the post stated.

Details of the deal were first reported by The Wall Street Journal and subsequently corroborated by The New York Times, who claimed that “dozens of Google employees” had access to the private records. The publication also cited concerns that some workers may have downloaded the data from Google’s Cloud servers.

Google and Ascension only publicised details of their work together after the reports were already published.

A press release from Ascension said the deal would “improve the experience of patients and consumers” by streamlining its services.

“As the healthcare environment continues to rapidly evolve, we must transform to better meet the needs and expectations of those we serve as well as our own caregivers and healthcare providers,” said Eduardo Conrado, executive vice-president of strategy and innovations at Ascension.

“Doing that will require the programmatic integration of new care models delivered through the digital platforms, applications and services that are part of the everyday experience of those we serve.”

Social media is an increasingly important battle ground in elections - and home to many questionable claims pumped out by all sides. If social media sites won't investigate the truth of divisive advertising, we will. Please send any political Facebook advertising you receive to digitaldemocracy@independent.co.uk, and we will catalogue and investigate it. Read more here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.