Over the years, computers went from being research and study tools used in teaching centers and laboratories to sophisticated appliances.
Computers now allow us to perform routine tasks automatically and provide us with entertainment with much less effort than before. thanks to the innumerable software that we can install.
we install software on our computers in order to obtain a benefit and to have a result, which is often the sustenance that allows us to settle our accounts, such as spreadsheets, word processors and graphic design applications, among many other types of programs.
We also use the computer and its software such as video and audio players, book readers, games, and more to entertain us. All of these programs are designed by developers using one of the programming languages that exist today.
This means many hours of hard work and dedication, and it is only fair that the developer has his retribution for this hard work. That is why the software has a price and a license that determines how it should be used.
In this post we will try to explain why piracy is bad and the damage it causes to designers, artists, and other workers in this sector.
What is hacking
The history of piracy begins in the early 1960s with the help of certain elite groups of students from MIT called "Hackers".
Hackers used to have as entertainment or form of social protest the manipulation of the codes of those early computers to achieve a different result than its users expected.
Basically, hacking nowadays consists of breaking the security of certain programs, most of the time popular and very necessary to carry out certain tasks, such as Photoshop or Windows, in order to eliminate or block any code that prevents their free use.
To be later distributed with the signature of a group or "Team" for free in the main exchange networks such as Torrent or eMule, quite frequently.
This leads to an excessive supply of software, where it is not necessary to think if we really need what we are downloading. To graph this, nothing better than a specific example, a case that many of us surely know.
Let's imagine we have to resize a batch of photos. For this, we can use any free software or the world of Open Source on the net.
But the availability of pirated Photoshop, plus all the information and tutorials that use this tool to do something as simple as shrinking some photos, make the user fall into the circle of illegally downloading Photoshop.
However, they could easily use tools such as GIMP, or simply use some online service to resize images, such as Convertimage, which we can access through our favorite browser.
Therefore, before thinking about hacking, we must see if what we have to do really justifies that we have to make it illegal to download pirated software since we can jeopardize the integrity of our data or even in some countries, our freedom.
Although many times the user who installs this type of program does not have any problem.
The truth is that it is possible that some of these releases, as these groups call this type of delivery, can be dangerous because they contain viruses and other threats to the security of our data.
Typically, in these releases, the user is called to download, once the illegally obtained software has been tried, they buy it, in order to monetarily support the developer of the pirated software, but the truth is that this rule is practically not met.
At this point, there are many who argue that large companies can survive a few or many copies of their pirated software, and may even serve to increase market share.
But the truth is that in the case of small developers, the lack of incoming money from the sale of your software prevents you, for example, from investing in improvements, equipment, or even the wages of your workers.
It is common to think for many people, from many different cultures and social strata, that piracy is somewhat romantic, due to the point at which hackers take away their software, valuable software.
And it took years of hard work to develop it, to give it to those who are not in a position to acquire it but make no mistake, piracy is also a business that moves a lot of money, nothing is done in a disinterested way.
In this sense, there are other much more disinterested and less lucrative alternatives that should really be considered as something much more romantic.
An example of this is Open Source software, which although it is also in a way a business model, the programs developed under this concept are completely free and of impeccable quality.
What is a hacker?
Despite the fact that many have the image of the hacker as a kind of modern Robin Hood, the truth is that very important monetary interests move around all this activity.
Although it is possible that few of the aforementioned groups or Teams have as their main reason to offer the public the possibility of testing software without buying it, which is also provided by some software development companies in their “Demo” modes.
The truth is that the most usual is that most of these groups or hackers really only move to get a financial return, so they have nothing romantic.
Basically, a hacker is an individual who, for economic, political or social reasons, breaks the law, the essence of being a pirate, breaking the security of certain technological content in order to distribute them for free, or not, of course without having the corresponding user license for it.
In this sense, one of the most sought after targets for hackers to distribute is software, however, they are also known to break security and distribute other types of content, such as video games, movies, and music.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the work of the hacker, which is seen by many people as freedom fighters, since he falsely defends and supplies materials for the distribution of protected content on various exchange platforms, using criteria that they have no legal or even moral basis.
Effects of piracy
Downloading, or worse, buying pirated software, has very obvious disadvantages for the entire consumer chain. When software is pirated, consumers, creators, and vendors are harmed.
Software piracy increases the risk that the consumer's computer will be damaged by defective, malicious, or virus-infected software or other threats, severely affecting their security and privacy.
Anyone supplying faulty and illegal software clearly cannot provide technical support.
Pirated software typically has inadequate documentation, which does not allow consumers to take full advantage of the software package.
In addition to that, consumers do not have the possibility to receive updated versions of the pirated program and technical support, which are available to legitimately registered users.
Pirated software, far from being free, can cost users a lot of time and money.
Also as we mentioned, software developers, especially the smallest ones or those who survive thanks to innovation, lose their benefits due to piracy, both current products, and future programs.
This is because, when the software is sold, most creators invest part of the profit in future research and development for improvements to the same software package.
When these programs are hacked, it is clear that the development of new versions is interrupted and that ends up damaging the entire chain.
Types of piracy
There are several forms of software piracy, which correspond to a specific type of piracy. From this point, we will know the types of piracy that are currently the most common.
End-user hacking
End-user piracy occurs when a single licensed copy of the software is installed on different computers.
Another common form of end-user hacking occurs when using a "cracked" version of the software.
Cracked software is software in which the user enters a registry key (which invalidates copy protection), or illegally generated key codes that unlock a limited version.
Reseller piracy
Reseller piracy occurs when a reseller distributes copies of a single software to different customers; This is mainly the case with operating systems and software preloaded on new computers.
The user does not receive the discs, manuals, and software registration.
Reseller piracy also occurs when counterfeit versions of the software are sold, imitating packaging, stamps, and documents from the original software.
Signs indicating reseller piracy are multiple users with the same serial number, lack of original documentation, incomplete configuration, and the absence or insufficiency of original documentation.
It should be noted at this point that currently user licenses can be purchased through the Internet from their original developers or resellers, licenses that obviously will not be accompanied by any manuals or packaging, since they are digital transfers, in any case, you must always be vigilant to frauds.
Internet piracy
Internet piracy occurs when an electronic transfer of copyrighted software is made available to users.
System operators and/or users make copyrighted materials available on the internet so that others can copy and use them without the corresponding license.
Hackers frequently distribute or sell "cracked" software. The creator does not receive any money for their software distributed in this way. It is a violation of the creator's copyright.
Trademark infringement
This infringement occurs when an unaccredited company presents itself as an authorized dealer, technician, support provider, or reseller, or misuses a trademark name.
Other types of piracy
Another technique used by software hackers is to illegally obtain a registered copy of the software. The pirate buys a single copy and uses it on multiple computers. Another technique is buying software with cloned or stolen credit cards.
Unfortunately, the techniques and tactics used by pirates are becoming increasingly sophisticated, preventing justice and investigators from carrying out their tasks.
There is no doubt that piracy is a serious problem, and for many it is an obstacle to the growth of the software industry, and it is a real delay in the development of better applications for everyone.
Help protect the copyright of software creators and ensure better applications for all users - report cases of software piracy.