Big brother to log your drinking habits and waist size as GPs are forced to hand over confidential records


"Data includes weight, cholesterol, BMI, family health history and pulse rate

Doctors will be forced to reveal alcohol consumption and smoking status

Privacy campaigners described it as 'biggest data grab in NHS history'

Part of new Health Service programme called Everyone Counts

Officials insisted data will be anonymous and deleted after analysis
GPs are to be forced to hand over confidential records on all their patients' drinking habits, waist sizes and illnesses.
The files will be stored in a giant information bank that privacy campaigners say represents the  'biggest data grab in NHS history'.
They warned the move would end patient confidentiality and hand personal information to third parties.

But Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge University, said: 'Under these proposals, medical confidentiality is, in effect, dead and there is currently nobody standing in the way.' Nick Pickles, of the privacy group Big Brother Watch, said NHS managers would now be in charge of our most confidential information.

He added: 'It is unbelievable how little the public is being told about what is going on, while GPs are being strong-armed into handing over details about their patients and to not make a fuss.
'Not only have the public not been told what is going on, none of us has been asked to give our permission for this to happen.'
The data grab is part of Everyone Counts, a programme to extend the availability of patient data across the Health Service."


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2272166/Big-brother-log-drinking-habits-waist-size.html#ixzz2JkQRBOzo

That could never happen here in the US. [sarc]

Gee, remember when the DHS's biggest problem was what days to hoist the color code of the day's likelihood of a terrorist attack? A make work job for Tommy Ridge.

History repeats itself.  Chip, chip, chip away a little at a time.  People pay no mind and one day you wake up and it's the second coming of a Hitler wanna-be.  Big brother is here and thriving.

Quote from: Shooterman on February 02, 2013, 06:16:31 AM
Gee, remember when the DHS's biggest problem was what days to hoist the color code of the day's likelihood of a terrorist attack? A make work job for Tommy Ridge.

Ahhh yes, simpler times.
But look at the upside, you are now part of a group, you are now known as a statistic.
You may even choose to personalize yourself, using a number between 1 and 300 million, I chose Statistic-150 million, I wanted to feel like I belong, yet stand out as an individual over other stats by becoming known as an average stat.
That's me, # 150 Average Statistic, a special kind of number....

Currently doctors do not have all the information. What would happen if a patient just says I prefer not to divulge that information?

Quote from: supsalemgr on February 02, 2013, 09:24:32 AM
Currently doctors do not have all the information. What would happen if a patient just says I prefer not to divulge that information?

Doctor to patient, then you need to find a new doctor. 

Anonymized data to detect trends often sounds like a great idea.  There's a lot of real and valuable conclusions that can be drawn to improve a system.  But way too many times has it come out that through careful analysis the supposed "anonymous" data could be easily traced to individuals.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2009/09/your-secrets-live-online-in-databases-of-ruin/
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2007/12/securitymatters_1213
http://strata.oreilly.com/2011/05/anonymize-data-limits.html

Just a plain old bad idea.

Luckily... it's for NHS over in the UK, and not us.  Let's hope something similar doesn't come our way.  Government run health IT systems always scare me.

Quote from: mhughes on February 02, 2013, 09:58:33 AM
Anonymized data to detect trends often sounds like a great idea.  There's a lot of real and valuable conclusions that can be drawn to improve a system.  But way too many times has it come out that through careful analysis the supposed "anonymous" data could be easily traced to individuals.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2009/09/your-secrets-live-online-in-databases-of-ruin/
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2007/12/securitymatters_1213
http://strata.oreilly.com/2011/05/anonymize-data-limits.html

Just a plain old bad idea.

Luckily... it's for NHS over in the UK, and not us.  Let's hope something similar doesn't come our way.  Government run health IT systems always scare me.

Absolutely agree.
No name bureaucrats are the blood of the Devil. 

There is no need to start compiling all this information, even though the researchers alone may have great intentions, it's how it will be used against us in the end that is the true danger.

Quote from: Turks on February 02, 2013, 06:34:09 AM
History repeats itself.  Chip, chip, chip away a little at a time.  People pay no mind and one day you wake up and it's the second coming of a Hitler wanna-be.  Big brother is here and thriving.

That has been going on for the last 60+ years.

Did you just now notice?   

Quote from: rich_t on February 02, 2013, 03:51:43 PM
That has been going on for the last 60+ years.

Did you just now notice?   

Do you have anything useful to say or is your only purpose to follow me around the board making sarcastic remarks?

Quote from: Turks on February 02, 2013, 04:18:20 PM
Do you have anything useful to say or is your only purpose to follow me around the board making sarcastic remarks?

Well...  Since you have have opted to act like a pathetic little pussy, I may just follow you around to taunt you.

What the fuck are you going to do about it you little Bitch?

Quote from: rich_t on February 02, 2013, 04:34:28 PM
Well...  Since you have have opted to act like a pathetic little pussy, I may just follow you around to taunt you.

What the fuck are you going to do about it you little Bitch?

Another cyber tough guy who hides behind his keyboard.  I don't have to do a thing other than let your replies say it all, Richie.

Quote from: Turks on February 02, 2013, 04:36:41 PM

Another cyber tough guy who hides behind his keyboard.  I don't have to do a thing other than let your replies say it all.

Look here old son...  I was merely trying to inject a little levity into your apparent doom and gloom.

If you don't like that, fine.

Get over it.

This after all is only a message board.

Quote from: rich_t on February 02, 2013, 04:39:16 PM
Look here old son...  I was merely trying to inject a little levity into your apparent doom and gloom.

If you don't like that, fine.

Get over it.

This after all is only a message board.

There's a polite way to do it and an ignorant one.  You ask yourself which way was yours was.  Nor am I the one making threats about stalking another poster and asking what they are going to do about it.