Topic analysis

More private health records of UK Biobank volunteers appear on Chinese website

Additional listings of de-identified health records belonging to 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers have appeared on the Chinese online marketplace Alibaba since a breach was reported last week, with UK Science Minister Patrick Vallance stating the government is working with Chinese officials to remove them and prepare for further leaks. Vallance highlighted a low but real risk of re-identification via data triangulation, while UK Biobank has addressed at least 30 other recent breaches—including one involving data uploaded by a Yale student that remains online—drawing criticism from MPs over the organization’s perceived complacency.