The government opposes the suspension veto, a new twist to the Health Data Hub

The French government is suspending the implementation of the Health Data Hub platform, an organization focused on health data launched in 2019. Observers see this as a pre-presidential political strategy.

Permission request withdrawn

Created in 2019, the Health Data Hub aims to facilitate the sharing of health data from a variety of sources to support research. In April 2021, CNIL President Marie-Laure Denis responded to the question of French health. Microsoft will provide the data storage platform.

The choice of an American company assumes that the data will be subject to US law: Cloud Law. It authorizes the government to access the data stored on the server. It is in no way compatible with GDPR, which better protects the confidentiality of the data.

CNIL demanded digital sovereignty, which required a European host before it could recognize the functionality of the operating system, which is still in pilot mode. The request for this recognition was withdrawn by the French government in January 2022.

Political strategy?

Health Data has partnered with Orange Capgemini to launch French Hyperscale that complements Hub’s specifications. In the words of Stephen Richard, CEO of the company, this trusted cloud “sets the highest standards for data security and sovereignty”.

But on January 20, Cedric O, Secretary of State for Digital Transformation, announced that Microsoft was no longer calling for tenders for HDH hosting on the site. This member of government insists that the plan be suspended “before the presidential election.”

This result raises many questions. Observers see this as a political ploy, accusing the government of removing the controversy and controversy surrounding the establishment of this platform, which has seen many twists and turns so far. Currently, not legal. It remains to be seen whether the government will resume this program after the election.