MANILA, Philippines -- The Business Software Alliance launched in the Philippines on Friday an Asia-wide campaign aimed at educating teachers, parents and youngsters about piracy and other dangers to which young people are exposed through the Internet.

Tarun Sawney, BSA's director for anti-piracy in Asia, said that with greater use of the Internet, minors were becoming more vulnerable to addiction to online games, cyber-bullying and harassment and child pornography.

"There are also security issues like spam, spyware, viruses, Trojans, worms, malware, etc." Sawney said.

Malware, from the words "malicious" and "software," refers to software designed to infiltrate and damage a computer system without the owner knowing.

"Young people are also exposed to crimes like intrusion and hacking, identity theft, and online predators," he said. "Aside from that, there are scams, gambling and even suicide."

Sawney said the campaign to address these issues was primarily being undertaken in the form of a website -- www.b4usurf.org -- that highlights the many dangers and security threats that the young face in cyberspace.

"B4USurf helps schools, parents and youths across Asia surf the Internet safely and responsibly," he added.

Sawney cited a study made by ACNielsen which showed that the number of Filipino netizens would reach 24 million in 2008.

The study also showed that with the availability of affordable computers and Internet service, the number might further grow to 36 million by 2010.

"In this situation, we ask whether youths are using the Internet for valid reasons," Sawny said.

According to the antivirus software firm McAfee, a BSA member, the top Internet security threats in 2008 included those associated with social networking and Web 2.0 -- trends seen in the popular websites Friendster and YouTube.

McAfee also identified botnets or computer programs that give cyber crooks full control over PCs; worm threats through instant messaging; password theft through online gaming; and security attacks especially with the growing popularity of Windows Vista.

"We also ask whether parents and schools are equipped to cope with the growing popularity of the Internet," Sawney added.

B4USurf provides teachers free lesson plans on cyber-ethics and cyber-safety while parents can get tips on how to be knowledgeable about the Internet so that they can guide their children about it.

As for youngsters (and even adults), the website has a quiz and a shoot 'em up game that they can enjoy aside from the pertinent tips and explanatory information.

To bring momentum to the campaign, BSA picked young star Sam Concepcion as B4USurf spokesperson for the Philippines.

Concepcion is expected to tour schools and promote the website in the coming months.

The Philippine launch of B4USurf followed kick-offs in Singapore and Taiwan earlier this week and precedes those for China and Malaysia in early March.

Founded in 1988 at a time when unrestricted copying of software started, BSA is a non-profit group that promotes "a safe and legal digital world" that operates in 80 countries worldwide.

The group has 53 member companies and represents the world's commercial software industry.

In the Philippines, BSA's partners in the campaign include industry players such as the Intellectual Property Coalition, Philippine Internet Services Organization, Chikka Asia, Bidshot Wireless Services.

BSA is also working on the campaign with government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology and the Intellectual Property Office.