The Business Software Alliance of Australia is promoting a Facebook quiz that asks users about their knowledge of software piracy, and then encourages participants to visit the BSA Web site to learn about a reward for reporting software piracy in their workplace.
According to the BSA's media release, the Facebook quiz "informs Australian consumers about the risks and consequences of software piracy", and "encourages them to report on any business software piracy they may have seen in the workplace." An incentive for taking the quiz is given in the form of a draw for two flights to the Caribbean and $2000 spending money. Users can also visit the BSA Web site after the quiz "to report cases of business software piracy that they may be aware of," with a bounty of $5000 for any reports that lead to a successful legal case.
Upon visiting the Business Software Alliance Australia fan page on Facebook, users are prompted to turn off secure HTTPS browsing in order to view the page's content. The fan page then redirects to an external IP address — purporting to belong to Shine Media Group — before returning to Facebook, where the BSA app requests permission to access information including users' names, profile pictures, networks, user ID numbers, friends lists and any other publicly shared information. Images for the Facebook quiz are hosted on the Shine Media Group external IP address. The competition's terms and conditions state that the collated survey responses may be used for future marketing purposes, although responses will be kept anonymous and no personal information will be revealed.
The BSA quiz asks users for their opinions on software piracy in its first question, with options ranging from "It's OK when you're a student, but once you get a job, it's not cool" to "Software piracy is a criminal offense and equates to stealing". No option for an entirely positive response is given in the first question. The quiz then asks if users think software piracy has led to a loss in local job opportunities, whether they think pirated software is safe to use, whether "digital and software innovation" is important for Australia's future economy, and whether users believe they have worked for a company where pirated software was used.
Finally, entrants must enter their name, phone and email address to enter the competition. At the conclusion of the quiz, participants are told to visit the BSA Web site for more information on software piracy, and "details of the $5000 reward for information provided about business software piracy".
At the time of writing, the Business Software Alliance of Australia's Facebook fan page was 'liked' by 111 users.
