Net savvy Canadians not put off by online risks
Canadian Web users remain largely unfazed by tales of pirated software, hacker attackers, spyware, viruses and anything else online villains throw their way, according to a recent survey. For instance, only 12 per cent of Canadians say they are worried about pirated software, a survey sponsored by the Canadian Alliance on Software Theft (CAAST) revealed.
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Readers write back:
July 18, 2007 - Russell McOrmond of Ottawa writes: It is ironic that CAAST speaks as if they are concerned with the security of our computers. Possibly among of the greatest computer security threats are attempts by government-supported third parties to gain or retain remote control over our computers.
So-called "Digital Rights Management" includes the locking down of our hardware by third parties like the members of CAAST, with the aim being that these computers obey the instructions of these third parties and not the (lawful or otherwise) instructions of their owners.
One of CAAST's primary lobbying goals in recent years has been the legalization and legal protection of these attacks on computer security.
As Stewart Baker, U.S. Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for policy, said (speaking to a group of copyright holders in 2005): "It's very important to remember that it's your intellectual property - it's not your computer. And in the pursuit of protection of intellectual property, it's important not to defeat or undermine the security measures that people need to adopt in these days."
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