A campaign by theFederation Against Software
Theft(FAST) to encourage staff to blow the whistle on
employers who ask them to install unlicensed software has attracted
500 enquiries in its first month, the organisation said
today.
The organisation, which is encouraging employees to report
employers online, claimed that staff who blow the whistle on
illegal software use would be protected from reprisals under the
Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.
"We want people in IT to know there is support and the means to
combat any illegal behaviour by contacting us," said John Lovelock,
FAST chief executive. "We hope that by raising awareness of the
laws protecting employees, the number willing to blow the whistle
will increase."
But Public Concern at Work, a charity which
supports whistleblowers, urged employees to seek advice if they
think they may be victimised for speaking out.
"I would suggest that people come to us to get independent
advice on how they can raise the concern," said Shonali Routray,
client services manager.
Employees benefit from a high level of protection against
victimisation under the Public Interest Disclosure Act if they
report wrongdoing internally or to a regulator. But Public Concern
at Work warned that FAST would be unlikely to be considered a
regulator by the courts.
"Whilst FAST may be considered a wider disclosure, employees may
get protection as there is no regulator in the area, but ultimately
FAST needs to consider the assurances it gives. It cannot stop a
bad employer getting rid of an employee," said Routray.
FAST said it hoped that its campaign would shock bosses of
companies that use unlicensed software.
"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."
"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," said
Lovelock.
“I can confirm we have received more than 500 requests for
information since launching our whistleblower awareness campaign
last month. Primarily these are IT people researching their rights
and risks of installing unlicensed software onto enterprise
networks as well as finding out more about the protection offered
to them under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998
(Whistleblower Act).”
“To date in excess of 95% of our reports have come from people
in the IT department so we want to continue to reinforce the
message and promote the professional options that are available. I
want to urge patience though as historically it has been a
slow-burn process to elevate an inquiry into a case and its too
early to announce how many of these in the recent campaign will
turn into actionable cases. We want the IT community to know their
rights and responsibilities and understand that we’re here to help
mitigate their personal risk, not to coerce them.”