Privacy in the Digital Networked Economy

This hot topic has been researched and written by the Henley Centre and addresses the trade-offs between advancements in networked technologies and the risk to personal privacy rights. Beginning with consideration of the definition of privacy, the paper is structured around the technologies that are becoming increasingly available in the digital networked economy and the different ways in which individuals view privacy in different situations. The issues of responsibility, awareness and education are covered, as well as the challenges that privacy in a global context brings. A number of recommendations for BT are made and we will be considering these during the 2006 financial year.

It should be stressed that the views represented in the hot topic are those of the Henley Centre, not necessarily those of BT. The paper is available for download here in pdf format.

BT has for many years managed customer data in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. During the 2005 financial year, alongside the development of this hot topic, we have been considering how we should manage privacy in the digital networked economy. As a result, we have developed a set of privacy principles designed to be used across the company.

We have also included privacy in our list of key CSR risks.

To have your say on any of the issues covered in this Hot Topic, e-mail yourviews@bt.com.