Medical data belonging to 500,000 United Kingdom volunteers has been stolen and offered for sale on the Chinese website Alibaba, UK Technology Minister Ian Murray confirmed. The data originates from UK Biobank, a comprehensive resource for scientific research.
On April 20, UK Biobank alerted the government to three listings on Alibaba's platform advertising participant data. At least one listing reportedly contained information from all 500,000 volunteers. UK Biobank stated that the leaked data did not include names, addresses, or contact details.
The government confirmed contact with the vendor, who believes no purchases were made before the listings were removed. UK officials engaged with the Chinese government to ensure the swift removal of these advertisements and to address any further potential listings.
Sir Rory Collins, CEO of UK Biobank, apologized to participants and assured them that personal identifying information remains secure. The organization is implementing enhanced security measures and has temporarily suspended access to its research platform, introducing strict download limits to prevent future incidents.