The boss of UK Biobank, Professor Sir Rory Collins, has blamed a few “bad apples” for the recent data incident where medical records from 500,000 participants were listed on a Chinese website.

Sir Rory expressed anger and disappointment over the incident. The affected datasets were de-identified but could still reveal gender, age, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle habits of volunteers.

UK Biobank has temporarily suspended its online research platform as it implements stricter controls to prevent future incidents. The organisation is also investigating the matter thoroughly and referring itself to the UK's data watchdog.

The incident highlights the ongoing tension between making valuable medical data accessible for scientific research and ensuring that such sensitive information remains secure. Sir Rory acknowledged that the balance needs careful management, but defended the benefits of their work in advancing disease prevention and treatment.