One of the biggest tragedies of online piracy is that it undermines the hard work, creativity, and livelihoods of content creators and industry professionals who invest their time and expertise in producing original and valuable digital content. While the practice is rampant across the world and almost among all age groups, it is quite painful to see young emerging minds indulge in such acts.
It is this that has prompted the Rights Alliance, a local anti-piracy organization in Denmark to impart comprehensive education to today’s youth regarding copyright regulations and the implications of piracy, TorrentFreak reported. Recently, the group introduced a dedicated piracy awareness initiative for teenagers, aiming to glean insights into their potentially harmful online behaviors.
The new educational material, interestingly dubbed ‘Are you a thief?’ aims to empower students aged 13 to 16 to introspect their own digital habits while gaining insights into the legalities and potential risks that their actions might invoke. By delving into the motivations that drive the younger generation, the anti-piracy group aspires to have a positive influence on their conduct.
The curriculum, geared towards social studies students, is the outcome of a collaborative effort with Gyldendal, a publishing house overseeing the educational platform, and is officially endorsed by the Danish Ministry of Culture. This endeavor isn’t isolated as the Rights Alliance has also played a pivotal role in developing a fresh curriculum tailored for high school students.
The Rights Alliance underscores, “Students are encouraged to comprehend copyright norms and relate them to their engagement with the prevalent streaming culture. This encompasses understanding the regulations and laws violated through the unauthorized distribution of creative content, as well as being cognizant of the personal and societal consequences associated with illicit streaming.”
However, while it’s too early to predict the outcome of such efforts, what can’t be denied is that there is ample scope for improvement. As a recent survey has revealed, nearly one-third of Danes aged between 15 and 29 admitted to accessing pirated content through streaming or downloading. The curriculum includes video testimonials from content creators adversely affected by online piracy, emphasizing that piracy is a breach of the law.
“[Piracy] is tantamount to theft. It constitutes a direct infringement upon the livelihoods of those involved in producing television shows, movies, series, and sporting events. Each violation of copyright law is, in essence, an act of theft,” the curriculum’s website asserts.
Beyond the impact of piracy on others, the curriculum also accentuates the hazards pirates expose themselves to. Pirate websites often disregard privacy regulations, and there’s a heightened risk of encountering malware on some deceitful platforms.
When a pirate website doesn’t charge users, it often resorts to alternative revenue streams. According to the curriculum, hackers and malicious actors tend to exploit this opportunity to distribute malware. The curriculum includes insights from Jens Myrup Pedersen, a cybersecurity professor at Aalborg University, who underscores the myriad troubles malware can unleash.
While the curriculum isn’t obligatory, its creators have made it available for free, enabling schools to offer it to their students at their discretion. With positive outcomes, the Rights Alliance and its collaborators aspire to witness a gradual decline in piracy rates over time.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
