Civil liberties in an information society (2)

E-health insider reports on the story I blogged about a while back. The Department of Health has written to all the people who sent in The Guardian's opt-out coupon, explaining that they don't have the right not to have their information added to the NHS Care Records Service (full text of the DH letter here). As is pointed out in the comments on the E-health insider page, the Data Protection Act doesn't stop organisations holding the information about you that they need to conduct their business, it only gives you the right of access to that information in order to ascertain that it is accurate and up to date, and places a duty on organisations to prevent unauthorised access to your information (i.e. to protect your data). Scaremongering? No thanks. Campaigns for better information security? Ooh yes please!

Civil liberties in an information society

E-Health Insider have picked up on articles in today's Guardian, emphasising the concerns over confidentiality and security of the national patient database. The Guardian is also providing a template so that people can opt out of the system - with a comment that if enough people refuse to have their details on the Spine, then the system will be unworkable and will be abandoned. Normally I'm on the side of the Civil Liberties lobby, but in this instance it seems crazy to try and wreck the whole system. Patient records will be held electronically; my records at my local GP haven't been on paper for several years. If I'm admitted to hospital, I want my notes to be available to hospital staff - particularly if there is some urgency, or if I can't provide relevant information. Surely it makes more sense to campaign for increased safeguards and stricter penalties for those who attempt to misuse data, rather than trying to delay or disrupt a useful and necessary but imperfect system?