世論 What Japan Thinks

In the middle of March this year iShare surveyed the users of their CLUB BBQ mail forwarding service to see what they thought about file-sharing (or P2P) software. They got replies from 783 people, 74% male, but no age breakdown is available.

The most (in)famous P2P program in Japan is Winny, which has been responsible for rather a few data leaks. To be strictly correct, however, the software is not responsible, it’s the user for not knowing how to set it up correctly that’s the problem, along with lax security that allows people to install dodgy software on work computers, or to place confidential information on their home PCs. See also my other recent article that ranks it as the second greatest threat of 2005!

Note that since people are being asked to describe how they may be breaking the law, there might be some degree of reluctance for people to answer truthfully, so perhaps the true rate of file-sharing within this survey group is higher than reported. Note also that the population that has been surveyed here is perhaps a bit heavy on otaku.

Finally, BitTorrent is P2P but has a decent number of legitimate uses – how did that affect the results obtained? Is it even well-known in Japan?

UPDATE: translated and published another file sharing software use poll.

Q1: Have you ever used file-sharing software? (Sample size=783)

Currently using it (to SQ)	10.0%
Used to use it (to SQ)	19.9%
Know what it is, but never used it	56.6%
Don’t know what it is	13.5%

Q1SQ1: Have you ever got a virus due to file-sharing software use? (Sample size=234)

Yes	18.5%
No	77.0%
Don’t know	4.5%

That works out at just over one in twenty of the total population who have definitely caught a virus through downloading infected files over a P2P network.

Q1SQ2: Sometimes the illegal exchange of copyrighted software, music, films, etc, takes place. What do you think about that? (Sample size=234)

I don’t share illegal contents	37.0%
Because it can be downloaded I download	26.3%
I know it’s illegal but I do it anyway	21.4%
Never thought about it	9.9%
Other	5.3%

The second answer reminds me of someone a few years back who got busted for downloading from Napster who used the defense that they thought if it were illegal, Napster wouldn’t be making the files available. I’m not convinced about the 37.0% who say they don’t share illegal materials – I wonder how much of this percentage is wishful thinking (Japanese law allows analogue copying of contents, I believe), wrong thinking (is the “it’s not illegal if you delete within 24 hours!” Urban Legend widespread in Japan too?), or just flat out lies!

Q2: For those of you in work, does your workplace have regulations against, or measures to prevent the use of, file-sharing software? (Sample size not specified)

Vague guidelines only	31.3%
Written pledge, rulebook, etc forbids use	25.7%
Company-internal monitoring system in place	24.4%
Free to do whatever one wants	18.6%

In the full paid-for survey results there are extra questions on do people use their own personal PC at work (apparently 15% do), and if they have done file-sharing from work. It could be very instructive to take the results of these two plus Q2 above to get a fuller picture of what sort of unsafe practices are going on within Japanese workplaces. They do mention as a teaser that 5% admitted to using file-sharing software in the office.

Other questions with teaser answers were 37% mainly share music and 33% films; 25% (of P2P users only, I presume) have seen leaked personal information files (eek!); and 35% have a friend (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more!) who shares files.