A message to our participants: Data security update – June 2026

Read a message from our CEO, Professor Sir Rory Collins, sent to participants on 3 June 2026.

Dear UK Biobank participant,

I am writing to you personally with an update on my previous communication about UK Biobank data being listed for sale on a Chinese consumer website. First and foremost, I want to apologise again unreservedly that this happened and for the concern it has understandably caused.

An Oversight Committee was established by our Chair, which included members of UK Biobank’s Board of Trustees as well as external experts. It investigated not only how data were offered for sale, but also what more we should do to enhance the security of your data. I wanted you to hear directly from me that their report will be published on UK Biobank’s website (www.ukbiobank.ac.uk) at 14:00 on Thursday 4 June 2026.

We are fully committed to implementing all of the recommendations in the report to improve our systems and processes. I hope that the actions we’ve already taken, and those we continue to take, make it clear that we take the security of your data extremely seriously. We will keep you updated on progress.

If you have any questions, please get in touch through the Participant Resource Centre, which will be kept open this weekend. We will also be conducting webinars to answer any questions that you may have on the report and what happens next. You can register your interest on our website.

Finally, I want to thank you for your continued contribution to UK Biobank. As a participant, you’ve provided a precious gift by allowing your data to be made available for scientific research around the world.

I’m determined that we do everything that we can to restore your trust and confidence, so that UK Biobank continues to enable vital health research that is already leading to improvements in the prevention and treatment of disease.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Rory Collins
CEO and Principal Investigator of UK Biobank