A rock and a hard place? Ministry of Defence | Defence News | MOD confirms loss of recruitment data

[Richard Clayton]

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In article <F4C18837-7AEC-4572-9F0F-029BB9046196@batten.eu.org>, Ian
Batten <igb@batten.eu.org> writes

>As a privacy issue, the NHS can't cope.  They appear to assume that  
>anyone sat at the patients' bed with a plausible relationship is next  
>of kin.

What's relevant to this list is that the computer record that is created
(for example by A&E as you first encounter the hospital) will contain
the mobile phone number of that next of kin person (often done by asking
the patient to report who the next of kin is) -- and that data will be
retained (many people come back to A&E again and have the same next of
kin on the next occasion so it reduces data entry).

As these records become centralised it will become possible to create
that elusive thing, a reverse directory of mobile phone numbers. Not
lawful, I'd suggest, but possible.

Note also, that as in so many practical examples of privacy invasive
systems (think social networking site of your choice) the information is
given away by someone else, not by you!

- -- 
richard                                              Richard Clayton

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.         Benjamin Franklin

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