Trust, privacy and cyber-security issues have the potential to negatively impact public adoption and use of IT.

British Telecom (BT) and Hewlett-Packward (HP), with the support of Sciencewise, commissioned a public dialogue to explore the beliefs and needs of users in relation to trust, security and privacy in IT. The project ran from August 2005 to October 2006.

BT and HP, with the support from the University of Plymouth and the University of the West of England (UWE), conducted 29 public dialogue workshops involving a total of 300 members of the public. The workshops occurred in a variety of locations across the UK.

The findings from the public dialogue informed the House of Lord inquiry into personal internet security and led to the establishment of TrustGuide2, a similar project investigating public opinions on trust, privacy and security in IT.