Data breach disclosed in UK parliament Thursday saw around 500,000 volunteers’ confidential information advertised for sale on Alibaba.
Mizy Clifton
LONDON — Health data charity UK Biobank suffered a data breach that saw around 500,000 volunteers’ confidential information advertised for sale on Chinese e-commerce site Alibaba, DSIT minister Ian Murray told the Commons Thursday.
Murray said the department became aware of the issue on Monday and that UK Biobank, which has close ties to the NHS, had suspended further access to the data at its request. The charity has referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
“I want to thank the Chinese government for the speed and seriousness with which they worked with us to remove these listings,” Murray added.
The revelation marks the second time in as many months that UK Biobank has faced questions about data security.
In March, a Guardian investigation revealed that data files had been inadvertently posted online, prompting the nonprofit to issue a statement reassuring participants that it had “no evidence of any of you being unwillingly identified.” UK Biobank said at the time it had taken steps to prevent such sharing going forward, including introducing mandatory training for researchers.
