Undercover agents fight net piracy
By Jane Wakefield |
He works undercover, has an online identity which he cannot reveal to anyone for fear of exposure and has to maintain anonymity or face threats to his personal security.
In the murky world of organised crime and piracy, the investigator known only as Mr X has the job of, in his own words, “cleaning the internet of some of the filth out there”.
It may sound like the synopsis for the latest Hollywood spy thriller but Mr X has a much more down-to-earth name in real life and works for the British Software Alliance.
He is one of a team of investigators employed by the BSA to patrol the internet and take action against online pirates.
Clean-up operation
With well over two million websites distributing illegal software, it is clear that his average day is not a walk in the park.
Like many office workers his day begins with a check through a pile of e-mail. He has to follow up dozens leads received from members of the public, businesses and internet providers.
With the explosion of websites selling pirated software and the peer-to-peer distribution of software, the job is too much for just human spies.
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