CLAIMS that thousands of people were to shun a Bolton scheme to keep patients' medical records online have been denied by the Government. Well they would, wouldn't they. Reports had suggested around 200,000 people in five pilot areas were set to opt out of the summary care record system which would allow health professionals across the country to access key medical information at the touch of a button, amid concerns over security.   more »

Privacy International, a UK privacy group, and the U.S.-based Electronic Privacy Information Center have put together a world map of surveillance societies, rating various nations for their civil liberties records. Both the U.S. and the UK are colored black for “endemic surveillance,” as are Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, China and Malaysia.   more »