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UK Biobank Data Sold on Chinese Site
23 Apr
Summary
- Medical data of 500,000 UK volunteers was listed for sale.
- The data was found on an Alibaba-owned website in China.
- Listings were swiftly removed before any sales occurred.
De-identified medical data from 500,000 UK volunteers was recently discovered for sale on a Chinese e-commerce platform. UK Biobank confirmed that the sensitive information, which had been accessible to researchers at three academic institutions, appeared on an Alibaba-owned website.
Following the discovery, Alibaba swiftly removed the listings with support from the UK and Chinese governments, preventing any potential sales. UK Biobank assured volunteers that the data did not include personally identifying details. The organization is enhancing its security systems to prevent future incidents.
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