The campaign is led by the Economic Crime Division (ECD), the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) and the Association of the Thai Software Industry. Together, these organisations seek to gain greater cooperation from the public and private sectors to enhance security. Police will crack down on corporate users and sellers of illegal software.

“Using legal software is one of the first steps in improving cybersecurity,” said ECD deputy commander Pol Colonel Kittisak Plathong. “And in addition to this there must be awareness about how to improve security. There must be training and information for people to protect themselves.”

For years, the government has increased its efforts to reduce the use of illegal and unlicensed software among the business community and consumers. The decline of unlicensed software in Thailand has been among the fastest in the Asean region over the past decade. However, about 71 per cent of the software installed in personal computers in Thailand is still not properly licensed.

“We need greater reductions in the use of illegal and unlicensed software. The rate of 71 per cent is still well above the Asia-Pacific average of 62 per cent,” Kittisak said.

“High levels of pirated software in Thailand also threaten national security and the stability of commerce. We must crack down on companies that use pirated software and businesses that sell it.”

Education is a critical part of “Safe Software, Safe Nation”. Under the campaign, practical advice and international best practices will be provided on how to use and manage software to protect the business community and the general public against malware attacks and other risks.

This campaign will invoke the nation’s shared responsibility in creating a legal and safe cyber environment.

“We fully support the campaign and will coordinate our work to promote the use of legal and licensed software,” said Thosapone Dansuputra, deputy director general of DIP. “The campaign will also strengthen the protection of intellectual-property rights, which is a serious matter for the credibility of Thailand, as well as promoting innovation and creativity.”