Introduction
British Telecommunications plc ("BT") uses information collected from its registered customers and visitors to the BTinternet web site to enhance the services we offer to you and to improve your online experience. We take your privacy very seriously. This privacy policy sets out details of the personal information we collect about you and the ways in which we may use that information.

When do we collect personal information?
BTinternet collects personal information from you when you register to become a BTinternet customer and when you enter any promotions or competitions on this website. You may also be asked whether you would like to participate in surveys about BTinternet to help us improve our service. Whether you participate in these surveys or not will be up to you.

For what purposes will the personal information be used?
If you are a BTinternet registered customer, we may use the personal information for the purposes of:

(a) collecting payment from you.

(b) verifying that you are an authorised user if you call the BTinternet helpdesk (for reasons of security, you will be asked for some of the details you provided during the registration process).

(c) informing you of:

any service related changes affecting your use of BTinternet; and
new features and functionality (e.g. the introduction of a new e-mail service or chat service).

(d) contacting you to ask whether you are interested in using a new BTinternet offering.

(e) contacting you to ask whether you would like to attend a research group to help us improve our service to you.


If you are a BTinternet registered customer or you provide us with personal information in the context of a promotion or competition, we may use the personal information for the purposes of:

(a) assessing and developing BTinternet and related products and services.

(b) informing you of other BTinternet products and special offers, provided that you choose to receive this information.

(c) informing you of any products and services offered by other companies that we think may be of interest to you, provided that you choose to receive this information.

If you choose to receive information from other companies, we may sometimes disclose your personal information to those companies. We will only do so where those companies have undertaken not to use your personal information for any purpose other than to provide information to you. If you decide that you no longer want to receive information from a particular company, you should contact that company directly.

You should be aware that if you subsequently give any personal information to another company, the uses to which that information may be put will be determined by that company's privacy policy. Our policy will no longer apply.

If you are a BTinternet registered customer, you may, at any time, change your mind about receiving information from BT or other companies in the future. If you initially chose to receive such information, and subsequently decide that you no longer wish to receive information about either our products and services or those of third parties, you can notify us online by clicking on "My BTinternet", then under the sub-heading "Account details", selecting "Change personal details".

Agents and contractors
If you choose during registration to receive information about other products and services (our own and/or those of third parties), your personal information may sometimes be shared with BT's or those third parties' contractors or agents for the purpose of providing you with such information. The contractors or agents will have undertaken not to use your personal information other than to provide you with information about those products and services.

Use of Cookies
A "cookie" is a piece of information, like a tag, which some web sites create on your PC. In order to provide you with the best possible online experience, BT may create "cookies" when you visit the BTinternet site. Our cookies allocate each user of the site with a random number. This procedure does not entail the collection of any personal information and you cannot be personally identified. Cookies may be used in the following ways:

to limit the frequency with which you will see particular advertisements or BTinternet announcements on the site.
to identify your defaults if you have set up a customised homepage.
to keep track of how many times you do specific things whilst using BT Internet, without actually identifying you.
to track where you have come from if you were referred to our website.
to provide you with self-help information.
Our cookies will not be used to analyse your visits to other sites or track any searches you may undertake whilst on the BTinternet site.

Agents of BT, which assist in the serving, and targeting of advertisements, promotions and other marketing messages may also use cookies to collect anonymous data. To learn more about the process, including your ability to opt out, go to http://www.engage.com/privacy.

Updating and amending your personal information
As a BTinternet registered customer, you have control over the accuracy of your personal information. If, at any time, you wish to verify, update or amend the personal information you have provided to BTinternet, you can do so online by clicking on "My BTinternet", then under the sub-heading "Account details", selecting "Change personal details".

Third party sites
Our privacy policy does not apply to third party sites that you may access from the BTinternet site. You should therefore ensure that you are familiar with the applicable privacy policy before entering any personal information on a third party site.

Security
BTinternet has implemented several security measures to ensure that your personal information is protected. Your password is stored in an encrypted format. Information you provide to BTinternet on registration (including credit card details) is protected using encryption whenever it is transmitted over the Internet. In addition, BTinternet uses a firewall to prevent third parties from accessing your personal information and other physical measures to prevent BTinternet users from accessing the personal information of other users.

Changes to Privacy Policy
We recognise the importance of privacy to our customers and visitors, and intend to remain at the forefront of industry developments in this area. We will keep this policy under review and any changes made from time to time will be posted on this page.

Consent
By disclosing your personal information to us or, if you have already registered, by continuing as a BTinternet customer, you indicate your consent to the collection, storage, processing and use of your personal information by BTinternet as described in this privacy policy.