Google Subsidiary To Use Blockchain In British Healthcare

DeepMind Technologies, a subsidiary of Google, has announced it will be utilizing blockchain technology in securing patient data.

DeepMind Technologies, a British Artificial Intelligence company, known for developing algorithms for simulation and testing in virtual environments, application GUIs and gaming protocols, has recently signed a 5 years deal with the London NHS trust to apply distributed ledger technology to healthcare. The company will build a specialized blockchain-based application to securely store hospital patient data and have all the information transparent.

DeepMind’s Co-founder, Mustafa Suleyman, has detailed the plan in a post on CityAM:

“The company will use the software for “general transparency” in a “distributed and untamperable way.” 

Recently, the company hired the most sought after cryptographer, Ben Laurie, along with a bunch of other engineers who understand blockchain technology.

A job posting running on the DeepMind career page states:

“The role will be working on innovative solutions involving a range of technologies, capabilities, static analysis/formal methods, “the blockchain” (no, not Bitcoin) to provide both security and transparency to DeepMind’s infrastructure, initially for Health but also covering a wide range of applications.” 

Meanwhile, DeepMind was already doing business with royal free London stream, but came under some data privacy criticism. The Information Commissioner’s Office told Digital Health News the agency was inquiring about certain privacy aspects of the project.