Digital technologies: a new determinant of health

The Lancet and Financial Times have published a Commission with recommendations for the successful integration of digital technologies in health. The bottom line of the Commission is that the weak governance of digital technologies is causing health inequities and compromising human rights. This finding is compounded by the fact that many companies are expanding their reach into the health sector, collating and analysing health and personal data. The future governance of digital technologies in health care “must be driven by public purpose, not private profit”. But how can this be achieved when private corporations have such a large and vested interest in health data?