aagh!
The NHS is planning a database for holding information about the sexual behaviour of gay men in London. Tender documents for the project "included plans to register everyone living with HIV and 'interrogate the database' to follow up clients who did not come forward for an assessment of needs".
Considering that the latest NHS IT cockup involved accidentally making public on the Internet the Equal Opps data (including sexuality) of junior doctors applying for posts this year, this *really* does not fill me with confidence. Put together with the delightful plans for the NHS 'spine' patient records system and the ongoing ID cards/database of doom plans, it's worrying.
If I put the tinfoil helmet on for a minute, and start thinking in V for Vendetta terms, the uses data like this could be put to is absoluteley fucking terrifying.
Considering that the latest NHS IT cockup involved accidentally making public on the Internet the Equal Opps data (including sexuality) of junior doctors applying for posts this year, this *really* does not fill me with confidence. Put together with the delightful plans for the NHS 'spine' patient records system and the ongoing ID cards/database of doom plans, it's worrying.
If I put the tinfoil helmet on for a minute, and start thinking in V for Vendetta terms, the uses data like this could be put to is absoluteley fucking terrifying.