WORKERS IN THE UK are being asked turn in their employers to a software industry group for using unlicenced software.

The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) has announced a campaign to encourage 'employee whistleblowing' at companies that install software illegally, that is, without paying for it. FAST says its programme has already gained interest with over 500 online inquiries having been logged last month.

In a statement, John Lovelock, the CEO of FAST, claimed that many workers are willing to report the use of dodgy copies of software at their workplaces. "Our campaign to encourage honest workers to come forward and shock their bosses is designed to let workers know that honest voices can be heard," he said. Lovelock justified his group's appeal for employees to grass on their bosses on the grounds of fairness to software houses, saying, "Businesses that deliberately seek to install illegal copies of software are taking revenue from developers and workers in the creative industries, and may be committing an offence." He also claimed that using unlicenced software is not in users' best interests. "For the sake of saving a little money they risk running applications loaded with viruses or substandard versions that won’t let them access customer support when they go wrong," he said.

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has maintained a similar programme in the US for many years. When it audits companies there and finds unlicenced software, it typically extracts 'fines' equal to the cost of the software licences that the targeted firms neglected to buy, after which the companies must of course also pay for those same software licences.