The Information Commissioner's Office agrees that BT shouldn't demand the phone number of people wanting to cancel the BT Phone Book.

BT has, for the first time ever, acknowledged that it's possible to cancel the delivery of the Phone Book.

The latest edition of the Canadian Yellow Pages has a notice on the cover telling people how they can cancel the delivery of the book.

Six months after opting out of the BT Phone Book I got an e-mail from BT to say that they won't stop delivering the unsolicited directory if I don't give them my phone number.

Thomson Local is the only directory publisher that will send you a confirmation letter when you opt out of receiving unsolicited phone books. The letter you'll get is hardly a confirmation letter though…

For the first time ever, the Yellow Pages mentioned the existence of Yell's opt-out scheme for the directory.

Paper directories and phone books are obsolete. Yet, companies like Yell and BT continue to distribute tens of millions of directories to households and businesses. It's a colossal waste that can – and should – be stopped.

The Information Commissioner's Office has concluded that BT demands an excessive amount of information from people who want to cancel the delivery of the phone book.

Yell has recognised 'online' is the future. The company will set up an 'eMarketplace', and in a couple of years time 75% of its revenue will come from digital services. Investors are not yet convinced.