Overview
- Doctolib told users it plans to launch a three‑year research programme in August that will analyse the personal and medical records of tens of millions of platform users to study and optimise care pathways.
- The company says the material will be pseudonymized rather than anonymized, may be kept up to five years, will not be transferred outside the EU, and will follow CNIL guidance so individual prior consent is not required.
- Doctolib listed Inserm, Inria and Université Paris‑Cité as collaborators, but Inserm says its involvement is planned and not yet contractually agreed and public records show only a brief 2025 mention of Inria’s role.
- Investigative reporting has raised ethical and commercial concerns that the research label could be used to develop proprietary AI models from patient data, leaving unresolved questions about data access, governance and commercial use.
- Users can oppose use of their data via an online opt‑out form or by emailing Doctolib’s data privacy contact, and next developments to watch include formal contracts with partners, detailed technical safeguards and any regulatory scrutiny by CNIL or patient groups.