Posh and Becks score own goal in online privacy wrangle

Late last week, the Beckhams' lawyers threatened to take action against i-CD, the company behind directory site 192.com, after they were told anyone could log-on and find out their home address.

Alan Edwards, head of Out-side, the company which manages David Beckham and his pop-star wife, Victoria, was quoted as saying: "This is absolutely unbelievable and we will be getting our lawyers to contact them to get it taken off. It's like going in there and finding Tony Blair's phone number."

But 192.com hit back today, alleging that the Beckhams and the Football Association are the culpable parties. It claims it has a policy of managing information "responsibly", and is "the only internet directory service that offers a record removal service free of charge to anyone who wishes to have their details removed".

It is the company's policy that no record is removed without prior approval from the individual.

192.com admits that the Football Association did indeed get in touch about removing the addresses of referees, but, contrary to claims by the FA, the site responded swiftly. It claims it sent out the relevant documents (known as CO1 forms) to the FA's headquarters so that any personnel, "whether they were referees or footballers," could have their details removed.

192.com says that the FA has been aware of the existence of this service for well over a year. "It is they and not 192.com that have failed to act," the company said.

In a final swipe at the Beckhams, 192.com said: "In addition, David Beckham's decision to deal with this so-called 'security' issue by publicising the fact that his details were listed have resulted in a ten-fold increase in searches made on his name. Perhaps the most sensible option would have been to fill in a CO1 form. Of course, that would not have generated column inches."

But if you go by the mantra that no publicity is bad publicity, 192.com hasn't done too badly out of this itself.

CO1 forms can be downloaded from the website 192.com, or faxed or sent by post. Anyone on the Electoral Roll can have their details removed free of charge.