UK investigates after UK Biobank participant data was listed for sale on Alibaba in China
The Facts
- The UK government said UK Biobank participant data was advertised for sale on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms in China.
- Officials said three listings were identified, and at least one appeared to contain data relating to all 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers.
- The data described by officials and UK Biobank was de-identified and did not include names, addresses, contact details or telephone numbers.
- The listings were removed after the issue was raised, and authorities said they had no evidence that any purchase had taken place.
- The government said the data had been legitimately downloaded by three research institutions in China, and access for those institutions has since been revoked.
- UK Biobank is investigating the incident, and the Information Commissioner’s Office said it had been informed and was making enquiries.
- UK Biobank’s data is used by researchers to study disease and improve detection or treatment, so the incident affects a major health-research resource relied on by scientists and built from volunteer contributions.
- It remains unresolved how data obtained through approved research access ended up being advertised online, and UK Biobank has temporarily suspended some platform access while it investigates.
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Context
What kind of data was involved?
Officials said the material came from UK Biobank datasets and was de-identified, meaning it did not include direct personal identifiers such as names, addresses, contact details or telephone numbers BBC,BBC,Reuters.
Do authorities think the data was actually sold?
The government said the listings were removed quickly and that it had no evidence any buyer purchased the datasets before they were taken down Guardian,Reuters,Deutsche Welle.
What happens next?
UK Biobank said it is investigating, the ICO said it is making enquiries, and access linked to the institutions identified as the source has been revoked while the charity reviews how the data was posted online BBC,BBC,Hindustan Times.
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Wire services (10)
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ReutersGlobal Banking & Finance ReviewUK Probes UK Biobank Data Breach After Dataset Surfaces on A...
Independent coverage (50)
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Yahoo News UKWhat is the UK Biobank project and what are the privacy conc...
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News Directory 3Title: British Government Investigates Health Data Leak Afte...
News.azUK medical data found for sale on China's Alibaba | News.az
gov.ukNational Data Guardian statement on UK Biobank data advertis...
Yahoo News UKHalf a million people's health data for sale on Chinese webs...
Mirror'I stood in UK Biobank megalab and China data breach should ...
MirrorHalf a million Brits have personal DNA and health data liste...
Deutsche WelleUK: Health data listed for sale on Alibaba in China
MedPage TodayHealth Data for 500,000 Members of a U.K. Project Offered fo...
News18Health Records Of 5 Lakh People Put Up For Sale On Alibaba I...
Pharmaceutical Technology500,000 patients' data for sale online after UK Biobank brea...
Le Monde.frRoyaume-Uni : les données médicales de 500 000 personnes pro...
Euronews EnglishHealth data from 500,000 UK volunteers listed for sale in Ch...
Yahoo News UKHalf a million Biobank members had data listed for sale, min...
euronewsDonnées de santé de 500 000 Britanniques en vente en Chine
DigitMedical Data of 500,000 Brits Found for Sale on Alibaba
ExBulletinUK Biobank health data has been listed for sale in China, th...
Tech DigestUK Biobank health data on sale in China, UK government confi...
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