Pressure mounts to phase out Internet Explorer 6

A Downing Street petition is calling for the UK government to drop Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) and move to a more modern browser.

The petition says that IE6 has security flaws and uses outdated technology, creating a burden for developers. The petition comes as the Department of Health advised the NHS to move away from the old browser. Other government departments - and many firms - still use the software, which was first released in 2001.

A campaign in the US, called ie6nomore, is supported by more than 70 web firms and claims the software is "holding the web back."

Microsoft has released two more versions of its web browser since IE6, but some firms and government departments still use systems that require it.