A Microsoft survey of 38,000 consumers from 20 countries has found that almost a third of those asked did not believe that genuine software was any more secure than pirated copies. In fact they considered it “safe”. Less than half of those surveyed raised concerns about data loss or identity theft from the use of pirated copies.

Microsoft believe that their survey indicated that consumer awareness about pirated software was high, which may be the case but they fail to note the lack of concern about using it. The majority of respondents did state that they would like to see the government and software producers to try to do something about these issues.

Jodie Kelley, general counsel and vice president of the anti-piracy at the Business Software Alliance, states that the survey says that

“...Consumers don’t want counterfeit software. They know it’s harmful, and in fact it’s hurting people everywhere. But they need the tools and the knowledge to keep themselves safe from those risks,” said Jodie Kelley,

Microsoft themselves state that they aim to help reduce pirated software through the policy of the “three Es” - education, engineering and enforcement. They are also offering a Windows validation test to that users will be able to check if software is genuine or not.
Source : UTC