FBI shuts down Megaupload, makes arrests

[solutions]

http://mashable.com/2012/01/19/doj-megaupload-anonymous/

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted seven people and two companies which ran the file uploading site Megaupload.com. The site, which billed itself as “the leading online storage and file delivery service,” is now offline.

In the indictment, Megaupload and a company associated with it are accused of making $175 million while simultaneously causing approximately half a billion dollars in copyright infringement. Among the indicted are the site’s founder, Kim Dotcom (a.k.a. Kim Schmitz), who holds residency in New Zealand and Hong Kong. Employees Bram van der Kolk, aka Bramos, 29, Julius Bencko, Finn Batato, Sven Echternach, Mathias Ortmann, and Andrus Nomm were also indicted.

New Zealand authorities arrested Dotcom, Batato, Ortmann and van der Kolk. Officials said they have not yet captured Bencko, Echternach and Nomm.

According to the indictment, the accused are part of “the Mega Conspiracy, a worldwide criminal organization whose members engaged in criminal copyright infringement and money laundering on a massive scale.” They are being charged with participating in a racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to commit copyright infringement, conspiring to commit money laundering and two substantive counts of criminal copyright infringement.

Should they be found guilty, the seven accused could find themselves behind bars for a maximum of 20 years.

The indictment and subsequent arrests come only a day after major websites blacked out and rallies were held to protest SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP Act), two Internet piracy bills currently under debate in the U.S. Congress.

Some 15 minutes after the indictment, the online hacker group Anonymous tweeted from a Sweden-based account that it had retaliated against the DOJ:

    #OpPayBack Target: DOWN justice.gov – 15 minutes after feds announce arrest of Megaupload 7, #Anonymous strikes #svpol

    — Anonymous Sweden (@AnonOpsSweden) January 19, 2012

Soon afterwards, justice.gov was inaccessible — and it remains down at time of writing:

The websites of the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and Universal Music Group were also experiencing either intense slowdowns or complete failure. Other Anonymous-related Twitter handles took credit:

    mpaa.org got attacked by a close-hauled sailing pirate fleet. #Megaupload #StarveTheBeast

    — AnonymousIRC (@AnonymousIRC) January 19, 2012

    universalmusic.com & justice.gov &RIAA.ORG TANGO DOWN #Megaupload Fight for Internet Freedom!

    — AnonOps (@anonops) January 19, 2012

The Anonymous group of the online community 4chan took down the MPAA’s website before in a 2010 Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.

UPDATE: Copyright.gov, the U.S. Copyright Office’s website, is also under siege. It’s loading, but very slowly and without images.

UPDATE: As of 8:18 p.m. ET, justice.gov, copyright.gov and the websites of the MPAA and RIAA are loading, while Universal Music’s site reads “The Site is under maintenance. Please expect it to be back shortly.”

[Gorgus]

And the next one to fall is apparently Filesonic... 

There is a notice on their site that says:

All sharing functionality on FileSonic is now disabled.
Our service can only be used to upload and retrieve files that you have uploaded personally.

If this file belongs to you, please login to download it directly from your file manager.

[lm317]

New automatic file renaming system needed for upload sites:
Example:
Windows7.iso to family001.jpg

[Magnox]

Hmm... looks like we might all be back to usenet soon, just like back in the good old days!

You can't stop the signal...

[pickit2]

New automatic file renaming system needed for upload sites:
Example:
Windows7.iso to family001.jpg

That is just silly, its not the name you use it's the site you use.
What about the backpackers and school kids that have to use such a site for uploading family pictures or homework.
as in Filesonic at least they seem, to allow you to get back your files.

[oldvan]

Hmm... looks like we might all be back to usenet soon, just like back in the good old days!

You can't stop the signal...

Torrents, anyone?

[solutions]

A list of filehosts here that are in countries that are out of reach of these idiots might be useful for everyone.

I know we normally don't allow that as "advertising", but here I think there's an exception in the name of wasting everyone's time on sites that are or will be shut down.

IP address as well as URL should be posted, as well as site location. I'd suggest a dedicated section, members only access.

Megaupload, if I recall, was in Washington DC, so you now have to wonder whether it was a honeytrap and its being the first takedown was a headfake away from its real purpose...gather IP addresses?

[solutions]

uploaded.to

"Not available

Our service is currently unavailable in your country. Sorry about that."

This site is *.to

Now I am starting to panic

[Froggy]

i just tested uploaded.to
with an American IP it's unavailable
with a French IP all is good.

look like we'll soon have to go to torrent files...
a private tracker?

[pertican]

uploaded.to is good in my country

[LithiumOverdosE]

There are quick and reliable sharing services in Russian cyberspace. Also, putting links in attachment will to some extent protect them from g00gle.

[pickit2]

********************************MY JOB IS SAFE********************************

[SpaleKG]

Personal I think that everything is trick. Just imagine how many account on megaupload are lifetime (paid once about 200+ $ and never expire). Other hosters have that accounts too. So this escalation will "shut down" current hosters but new one will arrive So again new fresh money for lifetime accounts and new round can start.
This is the big one conspiracy. Special is that Washington DC is NOT paying taxes to rest of U.S. They are special zionistic state in state.

[Magnox]

This is the big one conspiracy.

That's my general view of anything involving governments or money, lol!

Even TPB is falling... for money.

[metal]

The US is not only stealing oil, they also steal money, remember that point :- )

[FriendOfGhost]

I believe we need a good and fast working type of emule.a kind of application that not only uses clients local files but also can use some central servers to upload them, rename then and encrypt them. a kind of emule that search files in clients shared folders, uploads their names and files themself to server, then share them.

also I believe this filesonic issue is against laws. I use filesonic to share company presentations with my clientall over the world. now wharing is disabled. bu I paid for one year subscription. and they won refund. but they broke the agrement one-way. also agreement says "..... if user uploads copyrighted material..." and I'm not. so I ddidnt brake rules.

what a sh..ttt..

Besides, what I dont understand is, downloading any copyrighted material is not different than finding a wallet on the street that does not contain identity. only owner of wallet does not claim any rights and contained material is not belong to wallet owner.

lets say I'm an idiot and I click every link I see. some of them opens web pages, some of them downloads some material. Okay, if I see that material is copyrighted I delete them. how someone blame me about downloading. Shouldn't they blame if DONT DELETE it ? this is a king of "minority report". they are trying to prevent crime before it happens.

looks like to prevent robbery closing all shops.

[solutions]

Your legal argument is weak. Disavowing knowledge is not a defense.

The position the media idiots are taking is also weak, which is why they cannot win in the courts and have to resort to political corruption.

As long as you are not making any money off it, in my opinion, downloading is not illegal.  You'd never have bought it, especially $45,000 CAD.  but you can bet that when you are so familiar with it, that you will tell your company to buy a copy.  

Having it is not illegal if you are not making money off it.  They have to prove they lost money with your download...how do they do that when you are building the robot girl, for your own bedroom, using the software tools you downloaded?  It is copyright not property.  There is a huge difference. Downloading is no different than checking out a library book....as long as you are not making money off it. Then the only damages they can claim is that the damages limited to one copy of the software.  How are they going to convince a jury that you would have or could have bought that $45,000 CAD package?

Distribution, however, is illegal, because you cannot control what the other guys does with the material you gave him.

P2P is NOT a good idea. It turns individual downloaders into IP distribution criminals, IMO. However, a host located in a country where the distribution has no repercussions, or is not illegal, allows that downloading for individual use or evaluation.  

http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2012/01/16/court-says-alleged-u-k-pirate-can-be-extradited-to-u-s/?mod=google_news_blog

This does not mean that those anuses in the USA won't come after you, but is a $40 piece of s/w worth their time?

That is why I think a narrow list of hosts in safe havens, out of reach of the troublemakers is the best idea. A backup "home" IP on standby for Sonsivri would be nice...all we need is an IP address that gets sent out to trusted members.  The notion of posting links as attachments is also a good one, as it stymies the crawlers, and you can bet that these cavemen use Google as their primary tool for locating hosts.

I am not a lawyer, so don't consider any of this a legal opinion or otherwise. Just ideas and thoughts.

[SpaleKG]

However every miracle is several days lifetime. They temporary stopped or made damages to filehosters but piracy cant be terminated at all. So no worries

[Wannabe]

Just a note.
It seems ifile.it are getting very responsive of illegal contents so please use something else.

[pertican]

i think mediafire.com is good for uploading.

Set the password for rar file and don't use legal name(crack , keygen , full , ...)

Proteus 7.9 Full ---> p7.9

Regards

[#tester]

i think mediafire.com is good for uploading.

Set the password for rar file and don't use legal name(crack , keygen , full , ...)

Proteus 7.9 Full ---> p7.9

Regards

Also split file in two or more parts.

[optikon]

i think mediafire.com is good for uploading.

Set the password for rar file and don't use legal name(crack , keygen , full , ...)

Proteus 7.9 Full ---> p7.9

Regards

This is now a bit OT...

However, also enable encryption. Unencrypted rar files even if pass protected, let you see into the first directory structure. Encrypting solves that.

In summary

1) Split archive (especially if sizable - good for slower d/l speeds, disconnects)
2) Always Password protect with encryption enabled
3) Name things to avoid being suspect. "Vacationpics2011", "WorldEconomyReport" etc..
4) Post in forum by attaching text file with links in text file - For our members only to see. Put password in text file - don't use www.sonsivri.com or similar!

Its a bit more work, but quite easy to make a habit.

[TomJackson69]

Another site is down. The headline news: “Ukraine shuts down leading file-sharing site”
It says”Ex.ua was closed Tuesday after complaints from Microsoft, Adobe and other companies”.

Who is next???

[solutions]

Everybody, systematically.

They'll threaten trade sanctions, blockades, entry into associations and unions as "or else".  They'll go after Paypal, Western Union, and Moneygram to block your ability to pay for premium, or to "donate".

The Ukraine is surprising.

What country is most likely to tell them to go F themselves? Russia? China? Back to mailing money orders for payment?

It's OK for the big companies to evade taxes by offshoring to an island - where's the analog for hosting?

[LithiumOverdosE]

Well, most of the fast Russian file sharing services servers are located in the EU. I don't think they will have the balls to offend Russians by shutting them down. Not at this point anyway.