NHS could take action against trusts for Facebook breach

NHS England is investigating the alleged sharing of patient data from 20 NHS trusts to Facebook without consent. The Observer reported that a tracking tool found on the trusts’ websites had gathered and shared browsing information with Facebook. The data, which included patients’ medical conditions, was matched to the user’s IP address. Misusing or sharing such information without consent is illegal. The extent of this potential data breach could prompt renewed calls for increased oversight of NHS data security.