The authorization request formulated with the CNIL, to allow the Health Data Hub to retrieve data from the National Health Data System (SNDS), just canceled by the government. According to The world, the executive seeks to prevent this controversial project from interfering in the presidential debate.
Development of the Health Data Hub is put on hold
The news was confirmed on January 10: Development of the Health Data Hub is on hiatus. A government decision, which canceled a crucial authorization request with the National Commission for Informatics and Liberties (CNIL). The project is at a standstill, at least until the elections. Indeed, once accepted, this request could have enabled the Health Data Hub to recover data from its predecessor, the SNDS, as well as those from around 40 other databases.
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The centralization of data is precisely the objective sought by the implementation of the Health Data Hub. The initial idea, pushed by the government, is to facilitate access to medical data by grouping them together. Despite good intentions, this project is debated. The criticism leveled at the government is for choosing the American giant Microsoft Azure as host. In this regard, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Council of State have pointed out the risk of a possible transfer of data to the United States.
The government does not want this controversial project in the presidential debate
Among the detractors of the Health Data Hub is Anticor, a French association which says “Fight against corruption, with the aim of restoring ethics in politics”. In the spring of 2021, the association expressed its concern that this contract was awarded to Microsoft Azure without competition. Anticor said at the time that “The award of this contract could have serious consequences on the data of the French”.
If the development of the Health Data Hub and the question of its hosting are the subject of so much debate, it is not by chance. In this future data center, all the data of French people will be stored. like hospital bills, or medical causes of death. Extremely sensitive information, which certainly deserved more transparency and irreproachable competition.
At a time when issues of digital sovereignty are becoming more and more important, the CNIL has protested against this choice of entrust the hosting of health data to an American player. The Commission considers that “Hosting and services related to the management of the Health Data Hub should be reserved for entities coming exclusively under the jurisdiction of the European Union”.