
UK Biobank Data Breach: 500,000 Volunteers' Medical Data Listed for Sale on Chinese Website
Medical data belonging to 500,000 UK Biobank participants was listed for sale on Alibaba website in China. The de-identified datasets from three academic institutions were discovered last week and swiftly removed before any purchase. UK Biobank boss Sir Rory Collins described the perpetrators as 'a few bad apples' and the organization has suspended access to its research platform while additional security controls are implemented. The charity has referred itself to the Information Commissioner's Office for investigation.