NHS trusts shared patient data; report claims ICO failed to protect health data
![NHS trusts shared patient data; report claims ICO failed to protect health data](/content/images/size/w2000/2023/06/west_Media_cube-1.jpg)
The Guardian reports the websites of 20 U.K. National Health Service trusts are collecting browser information and sharing details about patients' medical conditions, appointments and treatments with Facebook through a Meta Pixel tool. The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office is investigating. A report published by the Open Rights Group claims the ICO failed to act in response to government breaches of data protection regulations related to the COVID-19 health programs NHS Test and Trace, NHS Contact Tracing App and NHS Datastore. In a statement, the ICO said it disagrees with the report, noting its "priority during the pandemic was to ensure organisations understood how data protection law could facilitate action at a time of emergency."