Reports of counterfeit software, much of it tainted with computer viruses, have doubled during the past two years, Microsoft said.
The US technology giant, which built its fortune selling programs for personal computers, held a Consumer Action Day on Wednesday to highlight risks posed by pirated software and resources for people vexed by bogus applications.
“It is all too common for software pirates to tamper with genuine code,” Microsoft head of global anti-piracy enforcement David Finn said in an interview posted at the firm’s Web site.
IDENTITY THEFT
“Why wouldn’t a criminal syndicate that manufactures counterfeit software merely add a few lines of malicious code in order to compromise the security of your computer and victimize you a second time by stealing your identity or personal information?” he asked.
Criminals often go as far as to duplicate the packaging of legitimate Microsoft software, making it difficult for people to tell whether they are buying authorized versions, Finn said.
“We know a lot of people still think of software counterfeiting as a victimless crime,” Finn said. “Yet, I think we’ve hit a tipping point. The sheer increase in the rate of counterfeit software reports is remarkable.”
Finn leads a team of lawyers, paralegals, investigators and forensic specialists working with governments, businesses, partners and customers to thwart software pirates.
DOUBLING
Consumer reports of counterfeit software doubled to more than 150,000 in the past two years, with people voluntarily alerting Microsoft online at Web sites such as microsoft.com/howtotell.
“We’re not talking about some average Joe copying his install disk here,” Finn said.
“Software piracy has become much more sophisticated. More and more, there are serious criminals engaged in this,” he said.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS