An audit commissioned by the government has found "significant lapses" in National Health Service ("NHS") data-sharing practices. The audit found that between 2005 and 2012, 588 data releases were made to private-sector organizations for the purpose of "analytics, benchmarking and research," in many cases with inadequate or no data-sharing agreements in place. The findings were compounded by a leaked report from the Information Commissioners Office suggesting that as many as 10,000 NHS patients may have been affected by a separate series of data protection breaches by a private contractor.
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