UK regulator finds Royal Free’s DeepMind data deal unlawful

The Information Commissioner’s Office ruled on 3 July 2017 that the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust broke the Data Protection Act by giving DeepMind identifiable records for about 1.6 million patients to test Streams, a kidney-injury app. DeepMind accepted the finding.

Why it mattered It was one of the first regulatory findings against an AI company’s handling of health data. The Trust had to audit the arrangement and put it on a proper legal footing.