According to a new UK study published by American software giant Microsoft Corp, kids between the ages of 11 and 16 are the country’s worst offenders when it comes to illegally downloading potentially dangerous files from Internet peer-to-peer (P2P) services.
Microsoft study suggests kids between 11 and 16 are the UK\'s most active illegal file-sharers. Image: RobertScoble/Flickr.
The “Real Thing” survey, which was conducted across 270 children and 1,200 adults (16 and older), revealed that a whopping 54 percent of kids aged between 11 and 16 frequent file-sharing Web destinations, compared to only around 15 percent of adults.
“File sharing is a great technology, but parents should make sure that their children are doing it legally,” advised Michala Wardell, Microsoft UK’s head of anti-piracy, while also outlining the apparent user dangers associated with downloading illegal software.
“Research has shown a computer running pirated software is more likely to catch viruses,” she warned, “leaving the back gate open to identity fraud or the loss of photos and other files saved on the computer.”
Redmond-based Microsoft’s study into online piracy and the purchasing of counterfeit products also returned that approximately 61 percent of children have knowingly bought illegal goods through online stores or auction sites.
What’s more, around 25 percent of those children said they would be willing to continue purchasing illegal items from the Internet despite being aware that it was wrong. A further 60 percent claimed their downloads or purchases were prompted due to authentic and legal products such as software, music and film being overly expensive.
Conversely, while over a third of the adult participants in the survey did admit to having bought fake online products (including everything from sports jerseys and designer bags to music and computer software), 43 percent of them saw the purchase of counterfeit goods as bordering on theft and would never knowingly repeat their actions.
In an attempt to channel parental awareness and help curb the user dangers connected with illegal downloads and the purchase of fake online software, Microsoft warns that “the volume of malware detected across the internet increased 253% in 2007.” It also points out that 2007 was “the worst year for data breaches,” with 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,” added Wardell, “we know the younger generation is tech-savvy - but we need to make sure they’re street-savvy too.”
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