Babylon's response to the Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (OIPC) report

29 JULY 2021

The service Babylon built and provided to Canadians through Babylon by TELUS Health put transparency, choice, privacy, safety and quality at the forefront at all times. We are pleased that the report by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (OIPC) found Babylon’s overall use and disclosure of patients’ personal information to be reasonable.

We are concerned by some of the interpretations and points raised by the OIPC that go against the foundation of globally accepted standards of high-quality care and clinical governance, such as the suggestion to stop certain ID-verifying technologies, as well as the audio recording of digital consultations. These features were introduced after careful consideration by Babylon with feedback from regulators in other territories. These functions are often seen as not only necessary to protect patient privacy and data, but as the gold standard. They help to ensure patient safety, offer patient choice and deliver a high quality of service to Albertans.

​In a sector that is quickly evolving to democratise healthcare, we appreciate and recognize the challenges that both regulators and industry face in developing best practices, and believe a collaborative and objective approach is required by all. Current healthcare systems are neither accessible nor affordable to many, and Babylon remains committed to our mission to change this.

Further to its acquisition of Babylon Health Canada, we are confident that TELUS Health will continue to respect and protect the privacy of Albertans.