- Dishonest researchers incorrectly included medical data from 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers for sale on Alibaba.
- The file contained anonymous health information used in thousands of scientific studies, but no personal identifiers such as names or addresses.
- Access to the institutions involved was revoked and officials confirmed that the list was removed before any purchases occurred.
The medical information of half a million UK citizens ended up for sale on none other than Alibaba, after “dishonest researchers” put it there.
Between 2006 and 2010, an independent nonprofit research organization called UK Biobank collected health data from 500,000 volunteers in the United Kingdom. Supported by bodies such as the UK Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust and the National Health Service, and with the aim of enabling large-scale health research, the project collected anonymous information such as sex, age, month and year of birth, socioeconomic status, lifestyle habits and measurements from different biological samples.
According to the BBC, the UK Biobank project generated more than 18,000 scientific publications and has been used to improve the detection and treatment of dementia, certain cancers and Parkinson’s. The volunteers were between 40 and 69 years old at the time the data was collected.
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Legitimate download
Earlier today, news emerged that someone attempted to sell the entire database on Alibaba, one of the largest online e-marketplaces in China and the world. This was confirmed by the UK’s technology minister, Ian Murray, who confirmed that no personally identifiable information, such as names, addresses, emails or phone numbers, was leaked. “This was a legitimate download by a legitimately reputable organization,” he said. “That is the problem that has been identified.”
Chief Executive Professor Sir Rory Collins also commented that the data was available to researchers at three institutions and had been removed by Alibaba in the meantime. The institutions, which were not named, have had their access revoked, Sir Rory confirmed.
Murray said no one purchased the file before it was taken offline. Speaking to the BBC, UK Biobank chief scientist Professor Naomi Allen said: “Ultimately, it is the fault of these rogue researchers.”
Typically, when cybercriminals obtain such databases, they offer to sell them on the dark web, not on a legitimate website like Alibaba, which makes this incident even more curious.
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