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UK Biobank volunteer data leak for sale in China

Data Leak
First reported
Last updated
Happening score
H score 25
1 unique sources, 1 articles

Summary

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The UK Biobank said participant health data tied to 500,000 volunteers was listed for sale on Chinese e-commerce platforms, exposing sensitive research records at scale. The listings reportedly included whole body scans, DNA sequences, and other medical data, while authorities and UK Biobank believed the material was later removed. UK Biobank has suspended access to its restricted research platform and is tightening download controls after the exposure. The case matters because it involves a large cohort of de-identified but highly sensitive health data that was briefly advertised for sale.

Timeline

  1. 24.04.2026 16:25 2 articles · 1mo ago

    UK Biobank sale listings on Alibaba platforms disclosed

    Initial Disclosure

    UK Biobank participant health data was disclosed as having been advertised for sale on Alibaba e-commerce platforms in China, with three listings identified and at least one dataset appearing to contain data from all 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers; the listings were removed and UK Biobank and the UK government believed nobody purchased the leaked data.

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  2. 23.04.2026 03:00 1 articles · 1mo ago

    UK Biobank suspends research platform access

    Mitigation Patch Update

    UK Biobank temporarily suspended all access to its restricted cloud-based research platform, said it would impose stricter limits on file downloads, and began a comprehensive board-led forensic investigation after the researchers and institutions involved had their project access suspended.

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