UKH

Thought I'd go and register my opt out.

It asks for name, dob, postcode and NHS#

Then it says I don't exist.

It says they use information supplied by my GP.

Ring GP. The information they have is correct, and is the same as I supplied to NHS Direct.

There's no pointer to what to do now.

And we're supposed to trust them not to give our data away...?

Seems pretty secure to me!

I also didn't exist when I searched on the website, but once I got the nhs number from the gp the problem was resolved. Did you try ringing the national number? 119

I've got my NHS#. It just clearly isn't correlating with the other information they ask for. That doesn't give give a warm feeling about data consistency and integrity, which are important for security...

Security through obscurity 

Of course, I meant NHS Digital, not Direct...

Obscurity doesn't provide security in a modern, data-centric world...

Thanks for the nudge.  I got on and did my choice.  All worked fine for me, and was a fairly painless process.

I see they have my mobile number, which I can't remember giving to them, but I think I probably gave it to them as part of the covid vaccine package so now they think they've got their grubby mits on it, they can store it and use it as they like...  And they want to share my data ..... I think not.

Unless you have something specific you don't want known in your medical records.  Google, Facebook, and whoever else are processing your online activity make them trivial in comparison.

I wonder how many other organsiations you share that data with quite openly ...Banks, Tesco etc etc.

I remembered the trouble I had trying to get a covid test last year. Same problem of data not recognised. I now remember that the final step was to use a credit reference agency to 'validate identity'.  Therefore those who don't have credit don't exist. I suspect this is the same problem, since it's obviously using the same identity interface.

From googling, it looks like the opt out deadline has been put back to August 23, but there's no mention of that (or, in fact, any deadline) on the opt-out website.

All nice and transparent, eh? Really inspires trust.

Oh, and David: you obviously missed the very long thread about opt out, so I'm not going to repeat that argument again.

No argument to have.

That in itself is quite concerning. If a government agency you've used all your life can't ID you, then there is a problem. Why not ask for driving licence, passport, or other government identifier?

Chances are the webdevs who made the site, didnt have an API for those. But for a few quid equifax can supply all this info via an API in an automated fashion. It simply strengths the hand that these external companies have over our identities.

They used to use ExperianID for all sorts of government shit, which I always felt was more than a little odd.

TransUnion in this case. Obviously, Equifax haven't been generous enough with their donations and directorships...

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/off_belay/booking_a_covid_test-724044

The NHS can recognise me perfectly well; my NHS# has been used on all correspondence I've had with consultants, etc, going back more than a decade. It's just 'NHS Digital', which seems to be outsourced (admittedly, most NHS IT is outsourced).

I doubt that the information you share with those organisations could potentially result in you being denied insurance (or having vastly hiked costs) or could be used to deny you access to various employment opportunities, etc. Or have you, hypothetically, told Tesco that you suffer from depression, or that you suffer from epilepsy (to choose just 2 examples,)?

But they can just as easily create as much  havoc in your life ....especially banks and other financial instituitions.And those can just as easily cause depression etc etc.

Simple things like incorrect credit ratings etc.

So disagree with you.

Go totally off grid is the only solution.

Probably quite a good number, but generally those that I want to give it to, for a specific purpose.  Not shunted round every department of a huge organisation.

So was that 1995 Sandra Bullock film “The Net” absolutely correct and prophetic? 

It’s what they do with your data that counts and your financial and other data is shifted around and analysed just as much. 

Your life is out there in all sorts of data whether you like it or not  

... in which case the government isn't going to get much for our NHS data, that's apparently already "out there", is it? So what's the point?

Can't have it both ways. 

I sent my form in a month ago, no acknowledgement, no automatic reply, nothing...

I sent my form by e-mail on the 7th June, I just got a confirmation e-mail  that they have processed my data choice but "It can take up to 21 days before your decision is applied to future data releases leaving the NHS." 

I sent an enquiry asking why I cannot access the online system, despite the detail being as per that held by my GP (and correct).

No acknowledgement yet.

Time for another letter to my MP, I think...

I'm not worried about the official sharing; it is the risk of unofficial sharing that worries me. The database is still going to be built, and your data will still be on it, what you are opting out of is sharing your data with specific 3rd parties. With the track record of government computer databases, I am more bothered about unoffical parties hacking into the un-anonymised records meant for NHS staff only, and then selling this information on to all and sundry.