Facebook Sent Doctor On Secret Mission To Collect Hospital Patient Data

Yet another Facebook scandal rears its ugly head and this time, it has to do with confidential hospital information about patients. That’s right, it seems the social network’s lust for controlling every aspect of human life just has no end. It made this clear when it sent a doctor on a secret mission to negotiate with hospitals for the sharing of information with regards to the people they are treating.

It’s worth noting that obtaining confidential patient information from hospitals without the expressed permission of the patient or appropriate federal orders is a criminal offense. As such, it would be beyond reckless for Facebook to ask hospitals for details on prescriptions and illnesses of patients. Yet, this is exactly what it did, CNBC reports.

Apparently, the representative that the social network sent to collect this information was presenting the proposal as something of a research project. Facebook will basically take the data provided, match it with the information it already collected, and then identify users who might require special attention from healthcare workers.

It would also seem that the project never went further than the planning stage. At least, this is what a Facebook spokesperson told the publication. Coming from a company that has often been caught lying through its teeth or at least, misrepresenting the truth, such assertions can be difficult to swallow.

"This work has not progressed past the planning phase, and we have not received, shared, or analyzed anyone's data," the spokesperson said.

As The Verge notes, it would be to Facebook’s immense corporate interest if this claim ends up being true. As it is, the social network is already balancing on the edge of a knife and is already in hot water with world governments.

This particular case makes it seem like the patients’ permission would not have been necessary for their information to be shared, as well. While this is already the case with its regular patients, it still wouldn’t have been a positive development for Facebook.