Medical data from nearly 500,000 volunteers in the UK Biobank was listed for sale on a Chinese online marketplace, raising concerns regarding data security.
The listing appeared on a platform owned by Alibaba but was quickly removed ahead of any transactions.
The Biobank confirmed that the data itself was not publicly released and that ensured that everyone’s personal information remained safe and secure.
Officials revealed the institutions involved in the incident accessed the data via a legitimate download by licensed researchers; however, it was later misused.
Three Chinese research institutions misused the data and are now suspended from accessing the database.
UK data minister Ian Murray told the House of Commons that data “had been put up for sale by several sellers on Alibaba’s ecommerce platforms in China”.
“At least one” of the three datasets listed on the platform “appeared to contain data from all 500,000 UK volunteers”, he added.
Notably, the Biobank has announced to launch an internal investigation and plans to strengthen security measures.
Despite the incident, officials stressed that international collaboration remains important, noting that researchers all across the globe depend on the database for studies on genetics, disease, and aging.
The major data breach case underscores increasing concerns over the handling of sensitive health data in global research networks.
