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On Tuesday anti-piracy group FAST will officially launch the new plug-in for Microsoft's Internet Explorer that will let whistle-blowers quickly and easily report what think might be incidents of software piracy and copyright infringement, quickly and easily.
Users will be able to download the software at FAST's Web site. Once the freeware is downloaded and installed, users will see a new "F" icon appear on their browser's toolbar. When surfing the Net, if a user comes across a site that is suspicious, they simply click the "F" icon to report the site to FAST.
When informants click on the "F" button they will be given the opportunity to give their name and why they think the offending site might be a piracy site, as well as an explanation of what kind of piracy site it appears to be practicing. But users are under no obligation to give their name and the whole process can be completed anonymously.
"The name of the game is minimum effort on the part of users," Paul Brennan general council at FAST told ElectricNews.Net. "Lots of time people might see Web sites that are obvious piracy sites which they might show to a co-worker. Often the two will shake their heads and talk about it a little, then just go back to work. But now they can easily do something about it," Brennan said.
Along with any information given by users, FAST's free software will also capture an image of alleged piracy sites for evidence as well as other basic information.
The non-profit group is hoping that businesses will install the tool on all of the PCs in an office. "If companies really want to cut down on piracy, getting their employees to look for it is one of biggest ways they can help," Brennan explained.
FAST will take any information it receives and forward to the appropriate authorities, or take steps to put a stop to any piracy through legal channels in the UK. In the past, FAST, along with local police, has carried out raids in the UK on suspected software pirates.
Brennan said that the program was inadvertently released to some individuals before the official Tuesday launch date and in a half-day's time, the organisation received over 5,000 reports of suspected piracy by concerned Web surfers.
The British Computer Society's Copyright Committee set up FAST in 1984, initially to combat what Brennan called "car-boot" piracy. Over time however, the organisation expanded to tackle under-licensing software piracy as well as Internet-based piracy.
Earlier this month, the organisation set up an office in Northern Ireland at a new base in Ballynahinch, County Down. The not-for-profit group expects to rollout across he Republic of Ireland in the next three months.
FAST makes money mostly through corporate and industry membership fees. Members pay FAST to examine their systems to ensure that they comply with all software copyright laws. According to Brennan FAST now has over 2,500 members of its Audit Certification Programme in the UK.
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