NHS email encryption

[PeteM]

Roger Hayter wrote:
> 
> As I remarked on this thread, users of NHS systems can have no 
> expectation of privacy *from* the government.  

We certainly have the right to *demand* privacy from the government, 
though whether we can get it (or some of it) is another matter. The 
battle may not yet be lost.

> The government already 
> assert the right to use hospital administrative and care record data for 
> central administrative purposes and for clinical audit.  There is a lot 
> of pressure to allow it to be used it for medical research (which would 
> include selling the information to drug companies).

*Anonymised* data, which (pace Ross) is a lot less sensitive than 
identifiable medical records.

   It would be
> entirely consistent with this policy to archive the plain text of all 
> NHS email.  Our only legitimate concern would be the ability of the 
> central system to keep our email out of the hands of third parties.

That's probably what the *government* thinks our legitimate concerns 
should be. I thinks otherwise.

-- 
Pete Mitchell