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The Real Thing: A startling portrait of digital piracy in Britain |
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Written by CB Team
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Sunday, 20 July 2008 |
 Microsoft today announced the findings of a new study, The Real Thing, that paint a startling portrait of digital piracy in Britain. The study highlights a dangerous discrepancy between children's highly developed technology skills and their often naive attitude to the risks they may face online.
This disconnect between tech-savvy and street-savvy is the online equivalent of leaving the back gate open to identity theft and viruses that could cripple a home computer and leave families without precious photos, home movies and music files.
The risks from dodgy downloads are spelled out in an IDC white paper which reveals that "59% of key generators and crack tools downloaded from peer-to-peer networks contained either malicious or potentially unwanted software."
Parents devote a lot of effort to protecting kids from risks "offline" in the real world, but what makes the problem more serious is that many parents, without their kids' easy fluency with the online world, don't actually know what is being downloaded through their internet connection. Half of homes in Britain now have broadband and it's easier and quicker than ever to share files. File sharing sites are now incredibly popular among young people, but this is a world that many adults don't even touch.
Michala Wardell, head of anti-piracy at Microsoft in the UK, urges parents to take steps now to ensure they know how their children are using home computers. "File sharing is a great technology, but parents should make sure that their children are doing it legally.
We know that there are dangers associated with downloading illegal software; research has shown a computer running pirated software is more likely to catch viruses - leaving the back gate open to identity fraud or the loss of photos and other files saved on the computer.
And there are plenty of risks out there beyond the gate: the volume of malware detected across the internet increased 253% in 2007. Similarly, 2007 was the worst year for data breaches with more than 125 million personal financial records compromised.
Parents need to convince their kids to use their technical abilities wisely, so they don't put themselves or their families at risk; we know the younger generation is tech-savvy - but we need to make sure they're street-savvy too."
Wardell continued: "This is really about striking a sensible balance. I would encourage parents to be aware of what their kids are doing without clamping down on their computer use - after all children are developing valuable technical skills by being online. But I would also stress that without fully understanding the risks of running illegal computer programs, kids could lose more than just their homework."
An emerging trend: digital piracy
The ability to be online almost anywhere and everywhere is driving a new wave of digital piracy. The Real Thing found emerging forms of accessing music, video and computer programs, such as peer to peer file sharing networks, are much more common amongst 11-16 year olds than adults.
The younger generation is increasingly turning to the internet to source dodgy copies of music, film and computer programs. Although much of their file sharing may be perfectly above board, with the attitudes revealed in the study - 61% of children have knowingly bought pirated goods - it would be surprising if a proportion of their downloads weren't illegal.
And sharing is undeniably popular: 54% of children acknowledged they use file sharing sites, compared to just 15% of adults. 16-24 year olds are twice as likely to have used a file sharing site as 45-54 year olds, and four times more likely than the 55+ age bracket. Indeed, 14-year olds are the biggest users amongst the 11-16 age brackets covered by The Real Thing.
Changing attitudes
Another trend which The Real Thing reveals is an increasing tendency amongst younger generations to choose free versions of 'digital property' wherever possible. Almost 60% of children claim they opt for pirated goods because legal versions are too expensive, and over 20% say they see no difference between fakes and the real thing.
BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor, who is leading the UK music industry's efforts to tackle illegal music downloading, said: "If you're used to taking something for free, you're bound to think the paid-for version is too expensive, whatever price you're asked to pay. It would seem that we need to communicate even better to young people why music has value and why we ask them to use services that pay us. The music business has worked hard at consumer education, and we warmly welcome initiatives that promote legal downloading and help parents understand the issues associated with illegal filesharing.
Producing great new music needs continual investment, and that means that musicians and the companies who work with them need to be paid when music is downloaded.
Illegal filesharing threatens to undermine the quality and diversity of new British music, and risks stifling innovation in new digital music services.
Perhaps more worryingly, looking at the younger generation as the business leaders, politicians and role models of tomorrow, BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor continued: "The music community and government all agree illegal downloading is a serious problem that needs to be addressed, and we are developing partnerships with internet service providers to advise their customers, create new ways of accessing music legally online and help reduce illegal downloading."
The Real Thing also highlighted the different attitudes of the digital generation when it comes to buying illegal goods: almost half of adults questioned (43%) considered purchasing counterfeit goods as tantamount to theft, and claimed they would never knowingly do it again.
Close to one in four children, however, claimed they understood copyright laws, yet would continue in spite of this to buy counterfeit goods in the future. This number was higher amongst 16 year olds - 40% of which said they would knowingly buy pirated goods again.
Michala Wardell concluded: "At Microsoft, we encourage both adults and the 'digital generation' to embrace the power of computing and of the internet, as it presents a wealth of opportunity for people to work together, communicate with each other and drives an inclusive society. Alongside that, we want to help people understand the risks that are out there and the need to make sure they're using their computer in a safe, secure environment. So we want to encourage computer users - both children and adults, whether they're at home, at school or in the office - to ensure the back gate is carefully monitored. If we start to bridge the digital divide today, and help children become as street-savvy as they are tech-savvy, we'll be able to safeguard the younger generation against problems tomorrow. "
Microsoft
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 20 July 2008 )
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