Signal UK Biobank holds data on half a million participants

Summary

Fully or partly state-funded bodies such as UK Biobank hold detailed genetic and health data on half a million anonymised UK participants. Approved researchers anywhere in the world can access the data, which makes large-scale public research possible. The report explains that tools such as artificial intelligence now allow these publicly funded datasets to be processed and analysed more efficiently. By contrast, private companies such as 23andMe run on a for-profit basis. The report sees the divide between public and private ownership of genetic data as creating challenges for access, diversity and oversight, and it stresses that data holders must keep improving security against cyber threats.