It’s part of the British government’s long-term
modernization plan to provide more digital
health services.
“We want to empower every patient to take
better control of their health care,” said Health
Secretary Matt Hancock.
Privacy campaigners said that while making
it easier for people to access reliable medical
advice was a step in the right direction, they
were concerned about the partnership and
its implications.
“Amazon is a company with a worrying track
record when it comes to the way they handle
their users’ data,” said Eva Blum-Dumontet, a
researcher at Privacy International. “Our medical
information is often the most sensitive data
there is about us and a lot can be inferred from
the questions we ask and the searches we make
when we have health concerns.”
Privacy concerns surrounding voice assistants
have come into focus amid reports that
services like Alexa are listening and recording
conversations in homes. A lawsuit filed last
month in U.S. federal court alleged that Amazon
is violating laws in eight states by recording
children without consent through Alexa devices.
Amazon sought to reassure users that their
information will be kept confidential, and not
shared with third parties, used to sell products
or to build a health profile.
“Customer trust is of the utmost importance,
and Amazon takes privacy seriously,” the
company said in a statement, adding that users
control their voice history and can
delete recordings.