A popular form off illegal software distribution is throughout the .
online world. Whether it be the Internet, America Online, CompuServe, .
Prodigy, or a BBS (Bulletin Board System), software "pirates" thrive .
freely online. These so called "pirates" operate by uploading pieces .
of software, commonly referred to as "warez", into an online service's .
database then sending through e-mail the rights to download them. "The.
Information Superhighway has opened the door to a new kind of highway .
robbery - the home shoplifting network" (Mattia 43). When you access a .
online service, you are identified through an account which most .
commonly consists of a user ID and password. The password is so you .
only can access the online service with your user ID. Many people .
online use their own accounts to access their service, but many steal .
and use the accounts of others or make fake accounts. When online, .
these account "pirates" many times trick other users into giving their .
passwords to them by impersonating an employee of the online service. .
Others can hack into the online services mainframe computer and steal .
thousands of accounts. Probably the most common method of getting .
online without paying is the use of fake or fraudulent accounts. These .
are made by giving false information when attempting to gain access to .
an online service. Name, address, phone number, and billing .
information, such as checking account or credit card number, are all .
falsified in obtaining an online account. With these stolen and fake .
accounts, software "pirates" have virtually unlimited time to download .
their "warez" without any charge to them. Many people don't consider .
the people behind the creation of software when they illegally .
distribute it. The developers of software are not properly compensated .
for their work because of the extent of software piracy. No one can .
argue with a software company's desire, and right, to make sure .
