The Digital Economy Bill has recently been passed by the House of Lords and is now expected to be rushed through the Commons before the general election. In some capacity, most of us now use computers on a regular basis but new research reveals that 1 in 6 people use software at home or at work that they believe is either pirated or not a legitimate copy. More than half of us believe that the dangers of software piracy are less well known than that of music and film piracy. These risks include ID theft, loss of personal data, computer crashes and penalties imposed by the police but despite these, two-thirds of home-pirates justified the use pirated software. Only a third of us have a high level of awareness regarding the dangers of using pirated software but once informed of the risks, the majority of us would be less likely to continue the practice.

So, what will this new bill mean for anyone using pirated software?

Joining us in the studio is Michala Wardell, Head of Anti-Piracy at Microsoft.