22nd March 2023 – (London) Google has requested London’s High Court to dismiss a lawsuit filed on behalf of 1.6 million people regarding medical records shared with the company by a UK hospital trust. The Royal Free London NHS Trust had transferred patient data to Google’s artificial intelligence firm, DeepMind Technologies, in 2015 for developing a mobile app designed to examine medical records and identify acute kidney injuries. In 2017, Britain’s data protection watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, found the Royal Free guilty of misusing patient data by sharing it with DeepMind.
Last year, a Royal Free patient, Andrew Prismall, sued Google and DeepMind on behalf of 1.6 million individuals for alleged misuse of private information. However, the companies’ lawyers argue that the case is “bound to fail” and should be dismissed. They stated that the majority of claimants did not suffer any tangible consequence as a result of sharing their data and that a substantial number benefited from clinical care, which was made possible.
Google contends that there is no evidence to prove that all 1.6 million claimants’ private information was misused or that they had any expectation of privacy regarding the information. While Prismall’s lawyer argued that the case should move forward, the hearing of Google and DeepMind’s application is expected to conclude on Wednesday, and a ruling will be made later.