Press & PR

Telecoms provider BT could be subject to legal action following revelations that the firm has been selling customers' browsing history without their permission.

In a deal with advertising company Phorm, BT provided access to information allowing the firm to advise its clients on where best to target ads.

While an opt-in scheme is set to take place this month, it has been revealed that a secret trial was already undertaken last June, the Register reports.

Stephen Mainwaring, a BT Business consumer, commented: "New technologies should be stringently tested, but not using mine and my customers' data.

"If they wanted to run a trial, they should have asked. I would have told them I did not want to be part of it."

Recently, BT announced that it had hired former trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt to be part of its board.

Consumers seeking an alternative from the telecoms giants and looking for a value-for-money deal might like to consider the voice over internet protocol (VoIP) offering from Vonage.

Vonage's VoIP products allow people to keep track of the calls they are making using an online real-time account management service.