Software piracy on the up

More than a third of all software installed on computers around the world is pirated, a Business Software Alliance (BSA) survey has found, reports BBC.

BSA campaigns relations manager Mike Newton said although trends from 2002-03 were hard to pick out, there were some worrying signs. "Right now we feel that piracy rates are on the up." Newton added that organised crime was playing an increasing role in the production of pirated software.

According to the survey, North America had the lowest piracy rate of 23%, while Eastern Europe has the highest rate of 71%. In the UK alone, the piracy rate of 29% equated to a ₤1.6 billion (R18 billion) loss for technology companies.

Ziff Davis reports that Apple Computer is preparing its next update to Mac OS X 10.3 - also known as Panther. An advance of the update, known as Version 10.3.5 or build 7M18, was provided to developers last week.

Version 10.3.5 will include updates to networking, graphics, FireWire and Bluetooth, sources said. The update also will incorporate changes to OpenGL, sound, mail and Apple`s Safari Web browser.

A collection of children`s charities has called for the UK government to impose strict control on child-tracking services for mobile phones.

According to BBC, the Children`s Charities Coalition on Internet Safety (Chis) has presented its case to members of Parliament. The main concern is that the technology could fall into the wrong hands, says Chis member John Carr. "It is a classic example of a technology-led solution where it should have been child safety-led.

"While mobile companies say they are willing to embrace all the points we are making about verification and so on, they do not accept they are under any legal obligation. What about other companies that come along that might not have such high principles?"

One of the main concerns is that anyone with access to a child`s number will be able to track their specific whereabouts, adds Carr. "The message implicit in the services is that knowing where your child is, is the same as knowing they are safe, which is absolutely not true. Most parents will understand that, but not everyone will."