Do you miss the heady days of 0-day warez, cracks, Keygens and RIPs? Hell, yeah – those were magical times indeed!
But like Trent Reznor of NIN fame, software piracy has never been more popular or accepted in the UK than it is today. According to a survey conducted by Microsoft, a third of UK residents believe it is perfectly acceptable to liberally engage in pirating games, apps, music and movies.
The survey, cited in the Telegraph, also found that one in six people out of the 1,000 adults interviewed across the UK admitted using illegal computer programs at work or at home.
In addition, one in eight employed adults conceded they had used pirated software at work, while London was dubbed the UK’s piracy “hotspot” with 14% of people using pirated software in the office and 57 per cent of believing their boss would deem the practice an acceptable one.
Finally, the report highlighted the supposed “consequences” users have traditionally faced by installing pirated software, including the introduction of nefarious computer viruses, a loss of personal data and system crashes.
Bah! Remember, information wants to be free!
