The Federation Against Software Theft has confirmed that it has received over 500 enquiries during the first month of its campaign to encourage employees to report employers who use illegal software. FAST wants to raise awareness about the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which it claims will protect employees from reprisals, to encourage more whistleblowers to report their employers online. The 1998 Act offers a high level protection against victimisation to employees who report wrongdoing internally or to a regulator. However, views differ as to whether the courts would agree that FAST is a regulator. The aim of the campaign is to scare businesses who may be committing an offence by deliberately installing illegal copies of software and in the process taking revenue from developers and workers in the creative industries.
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