An Observer investigation revealed that 20 National Health Service (NHS) trusts in the United Kingdom had shared patient data with Facebook using the tracking tool Meta Pixel. The data includes pages viewed, buttons clicked, and keywords searched, all of which-when linked to a patient’s IP address can reveal their medical details. Eight of these trusts have come out, and multiple others have said that the tool had been installed to monitor recruitment or charity campaigns and that they were not aware that patient data was being sent to Facebook. Some of the NHS trusts in question had been using the tool for several years. What is pixel tracking: Pixel tracking is a process where companies place a small piece of code on their website or advertisement, which then tells them how users are interacting with their content, and Meta Pixel is one of the services that can make this happen. Why it matters: This disclosure of data infringes on patient confidentiality and also goes against what the NHS claims in its privacy policy. It says that it only discloses patient information to third parties for purposes like fulfilling contracts entered with the patient, search engine optimization, and supporting local councils in the delivery of their public health function. However, based on what Facebook says, it uses off-site activity data for showing users relevant advertisements or suggesting groups, events, and marketplace items they might be interested in. And thus, sharing data with Facebook falls under none of the disclosures mentioned in the NHS…
