New rules are required for WHO’s engagement with Big Tech

Big Tech (technology) companies are now a powerful structural actor in global health, not merely service providers.The health impacts of this shift are substantial as their influence spans healthcare delivery, digital health tools, health data use, misinformation, and influence on policy dynamics.In order to uphold its authority and maintain public trust in global health organisations and initiatives in this period of rapid digital and artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, the World Health Organization (WHO) must adapt to the digital age and tackle the impacts-positive and negative-of the new digital environment with greater urgency.