Students Say Illegal Downloads Are OK

Despite awareness raising campaigns on the negative effects of file-sharing, two thirds of the college and university students regard this phenomenon as something normal.

This is the conclusion of study carried out by BSA (Business Software Alliance), which also shows that more than 52% of the respondents consider that downloading copyrighted files at the workplace without paying any money for it is also normal.

The survey also reveals that 45 percent of students are using the campus networks for downloading activities, with 36 percent of them more likely to report increased downloading. While 45 percent of the students say campus policies are effective, in contrast, nearly three-quarters of academics say the policies are effective, indicating a disconnect between the students and academics.

BSA has also found out that: 61% of the students have never or almost never paid for software and the illegal download of movies and music is also a gateway to software download, 27% of the students saying they download software from peer-to-peer networks regularly.

"Generation Y has largely grown up using the Internet and the majority of this group is extremely comfortable with technology. Unfortunately, this survey shows students who engage in these illegal behaviors are likely to continue after college and when they enter the business world" said Diane Smiroldo, BSA's vice president for public affairs.