Google Taking Over Health Records Raises Patient Privacy Fears

Three years ago, artificial intelligence company DeepMind embarked on a landmark effort to transform health care in the U.K. Now plans by owner Alphabet Inc. to wrap the partnership into its Google search engine business are tripping alarm bells about privacy.

Data protection advocates cried foul when the company reversed course on an earlier pledge to keep DeepMind Health, which taps millions of British medical records to monitor and diagnose disease, separate from Google. This month Alphabet said it plans to consolidate the businesses.

A staff member walks past medical records at a health center.

Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

While Google says it will continue to ring-fence the patient data, critics say the potential ...