Health Records Of 5 Lakh People Put Up For Sale On Alibaba In China, UK Govt Confirms

Last Updated:April 23, 2026, 20:47 IST

UK says listings linked to Biobank data were removed quickly; access to three institutions revoked and no evidence of any sale so far.

The confidential health records of around 500,000 British volunteers were offered for sale on Chinese e-commerce platform Alibaba, the UK government has confirmed, according to a report by The Guardian.

The data, belonging to participants in the UK Biobank project, was identified across three separate listings last week. The listings have since been removed, and authorities said there is no evidence that any data was sold.

UK technology minister Ian Murray told the House of Commons that the government had worked with UK Biobank, Chinese authorities and Alibaba to take down the listings.

“On Monday 20 April, the UK Biobank charity informed the government that it had identified their data had been advertised for sale by several sellers on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms in China," Murray said, according to the report.

He added that at least one of the datasets “appeared to contain data from all 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers."

Murray said access to the data had been revoked for three research institutions identified as the source, and further access to the Biobank database has been paused until stronger safeguards are put in place.

“Secondly, we ensured that the Biobank charity revoked access to the three research institutions identified as the source of that information. Thirdly, we have asked that Biobank charity pause further access to its data until they have put in place a technical solution to prevent data from its current platform from being downloaded," he said.

He also said the incident did not involve a conventional data breach. “This was not a leak. This was a legitimate download by a legitimately accredited organisation," Murray added.

The report noted that the data listed for sale was “de-identified", meaning it did not include names, addresses or exact dates of birth.

The development follows an earlier investigation by The Guardian in March, which found that UK Biobank data had been exposed online multiple times.

What Is UK Biobank?

The UK Biobank is one of the world’s largest biomedical databases, holding detailed health information from about 500,000 volunteers. This includes genome sequences, brain scans, blood samples and diagnostic records.

Researchers from universities and private companies globally can apply for access. Until late 2024, approved users were allowed to download datasets onto their own systems — a practice according to experts talking to the UK newspaper said they had warned they could pose security risks.

In February, UK health secretary Wes Streeting issued a legal direction allowing coded GP data of volunteers to be shared with UK Biobank for the first time.

UK Biobank’s chief executive, Prof Rory Collins, said the organisation “does not tolerate any form of data misuse" and confirmed that the listings were removed before any sale occurred.

“The actions of these individuals are a clear breach of the contract they signed with UK Biobank and they, along with their academic institutions, immediately had their access suspended," he said.

Collins added that the platform has been taken offline temporarily while additional safeguards are introduced.

“We apologise for the concern this will cause and have already put in place technology, processes and a board-led review to stop this happening again. We expect this to take three weeks," he said, adding that further upgrades are being implemented to prevent data from being taken out of the system.

“With support from the UK government, Chinese authorities and Alibaba, three listings for de-identified data were swiftly removed before a sale was made," Collins said.

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