Doctors told to give Palantir's NHS data platform the cold shoulder
- Reference: 1770815017
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/02/11/bma_palantir_nhs/
- Source link:
The British Medical Association's (BMA) recommendation follows the US spy-tech firm's recent work with US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). The union cited allegations that ICE used Palantir's bespoke Immigration OS platform to process and link formerly separate datasets, including medical records.
Palantir declares itself the guardian of Americans' rights [1]READ MORE
Tom Dolphin, BMA chair of council, wrote in a letter to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), a publication owned by the union: "It is the view of the BMA that doctors working in the NHS can no longer provide the tacit endorsement that using a product implies and must immediately take steps to explore refusing any non-direct care usage of Palantir's Federated Data Platform, with a view to moving away from the platform entirely in time, when a suitable alternative can be put in place."
A Palantir spokesperson told The Register : "Palantir software is helping to deliver better public services in the UK. That includes delivering more NHS operations, helping Royal Navy ships to stay at sea for longer, and helping the police to tackle domestic violence."
Palantir won [2]£60 million in non-competitive pandemic contracts , starting with an initial £1 agreement. The US vendor later secured a [3]£330 million competitive tender to provide the FDP , which NHS England – the world's largest healthcare provider – said would be core to clearing its pandemic backlog.
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Critics argued that allowing Palantir to carry over technical use cases from its COVID-era platform to the FDP may have skewed the competition. NHS England said the tender was fair and open.
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The [7]BMA represents more than 200,000 doctors in the UK and negotiates their pay and conditions with the government.
In his [8]letter to the BMJ , Dolphin said: "While Palantir's involvement supporting the work of ICE is nothing new, the doctrine and scale of ICE's role in the United States appears to have shifted dramatically over the past year with violence and deaths seen across the US. Given Palantir's increasing centrality to our NHS, we must pay attention to the role Palantir plays in facilitating ICE's activities and the implications this has for patient confidence in an NHS working in partnership with them."
[9]'Lethal' and 'magical' Palantir tech is in demand by Pentagon, China, Middle East, CEO says
[10]Britain's Ministry of Defence signs on the dotted line with Palantir
[11]Palantir helps Ukraine train interceptor drone brains
[12]Palantir CEO claims AI will mean western economies won't need immigration
"Where the NHS uses technology suppliers to manage patient data, it is essential that patients are able to trust that their data is safe and that the NHS remains in control."
"If patients no longer feel able to trust the NHS to handle their data confidentially or worry that the personal information they share with their doctor will be used for purposes which they do not expect, this will undermine public trust in a confidential health service. This will affect patients' willingness to seek care or their willingness to be candid with their doctor – which would be to the detriment of the safety and effectiveness of their treatment and to public health more generally."
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In a [14]later interview with the BMJ , the BMA chief said: "Given Palantir's track record, including controversies in the US involving immigration enforcement and the risks to patient trust, data security, and NHS independence, we believe there must be a complete break from Palantir technologies in the NHS and no further contracts awarded."
The Register has asked NHS England for comment. 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. All data within the platform is under the control of the NHS and will only be used for direct care and planning.
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 [15]user would not expect Microsoft to look at it . ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/03/palantir_american_rights/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/20/palantir_nhs_england_deal/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/22/palantir_wins_nhs_contract/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aYy1thdzBnmiQlgA9oKOSwAAAcA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aYy1thdzBnmiQlgA9oKOSwAAAcA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aYy1thdzBnmiQlgA9oKOSwAAAcA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/membership-of-bma-surpasses-200-000
[8] https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s168/rr-2
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/03/palantir_lethal_magical_china_middle_east/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/28/mod_palantir_deal/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/22/ukraine_interceptor_drone_palantir/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/21/palantir_ceo_karp_claims_ai/
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aYy1thdzBnmiQlgA9oKOSwAAAcA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s246
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/23/nhs_data_platform/
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
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!!
Re: How utterly naive
You do réalise th5a
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.
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?
Re: Be under no illusion
But without all this dara how will Palantir and Mr Thiel be able to spot the next Antichrist?
Re: Be under no illusion
Look in a mirror?
(Oh wait. He probably has no reflection)
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.
Axis of evil
Palantir must be dismantled. They are behind too much evil!
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.
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.
...and anyone who looked into the stone afterwards without great strength of will would see only Nye Bevan's hands withering in flame.
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.
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?