The government has declared that broadband Britain is to become reality by 2005, and that progress towards this target is being made quickly.

Oftel, the UK telecoms watchdog, confirmed that the one million broadband connection landmark was reached in October 2002, and a recent survey by the British Chambers of Commerce revealed that 40 per cent of UK companies now have broadband connections.

If Britain leads the G7 as a broadband nation, one question should be asked: how safe is it to enter personal data online?

The high total cost of ownership for a biometric or smartcard infrastructure prevents the majority of individuals and small businesses implementing them as authentication measures.

Internet sites are forced to rely on information to which only one person should have access, usually a username and password system. But the reality is that online environments should be treated as hostile.

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