The Latest in IT Security

The British government has apparently decriminalized online piracy, VG247 reports, and pirates who download illegal copies of movies, music and games will no longer be punished, as the U.K. has figured out its actions against pirates were not working anyway. The government will still send out warning letters to Internet users who download illegal content, but after the fourth warning, no further action will be taken. Instead of punishing people who constantly download illegal stuff, the government, joint by UK’s biggest Internet providers – including BT, TalkTalk, Virgin and Sky – will try to convince people to download legal content by informing them about the sources where legal content can be purchased. The initiative, called the Voluntary Copyright Alert Programme (VCAP), is