The Business Software Alliance (BSA), an international consortium of software companies, has asked Thai Internet service providers (ISPs) to help in their international campaign against software piracy by monitoring Web sites trafficking in illegal software.

While the issue raises serious concerns about privacy for local Internet subscribers, industry players aren't sure the plan is even feasible. Executives at Thai ISPs have yet to discuss the matter formally, but some have already expressed doubts about the idea.

"In general, it's not practical," said Dr. Srisakdi Charmonman, chairman of local ISP KSC Internet and a board member of the Thailand chapter of the Internet Society. "It's not practical to monitor everything because there's so much going over the Internet every day."

The BSA's latest attempt to crack down on Internet software piracy in Thailand is part of a larger effort launched last summer. In choosing Thailand as the first target of a renewed global anti-piracy drive, the BSA began a "90 day campaign" and sent out thousands of forms to local businesses asking them to declare that they were not illegally copying software.

Thailand was ranked No. 13 among countries in a study of software piracy rates around the world released in May by the International Planning and Research Corporation on behalf of the BSA. Thailand had a piracy rate of 81 percent in 1999, indicating that about eight out of ten applications in Thailand were unlicensed. Topping the list was Vietnam with a 98 percent piracy rate.

BSA reports that global software piracy reached 36 percent in 1999, accounting for $12 billion in lost revenue for software developers. However, software piracy declined 13 percent between 1994 and 1999.

The Asia Pacific region trails North America and Western Europe in terms of total dollar losses due to software piracy. With larger economies and lower piracy rates, North America and Western Europe together made up 60 percent of losses while the Asia Pacific region was responsible for 23 percent.

The Business Software Alliance comprises numerous publishers of software, including Adobe, Apple Computer, Autodesk, Attachmate, Bentley Systems, Corel Corporation, Inprise, Lotus Development, Macromedia, Microsoft, Network Associates, Novell, Symantec and Visio.

In Thailand, BSA works in partnership with the Association of the Thai Computer Industry and the Association of the Thai Software Industry.