UK Biobank shared health data with insurance companies

12/11/2023 | The Guardian

The UK Biobank has been found to have shared sensitive health information donated by half a million UK citizens with insurance companies despite having pledged not to do so. An Observer investigation revealed that UK Biobank opened up its vast biomedical database to insurance sector firms several times between 2020 and 2023. The data was provided to insurance consultancy and tech firms for projects to create digital tools that help insurers predict a person's risk of getting a chronic disease. However, the move has raised concerns among geneticists, data privacy experts and campaigners over vetting and ethical checks at Biobank.

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Life science, medical scientific research, health

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