Source (http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/apnewsbreak-workers-indicted-at-one-of-worlds-largest-file-sharing-sites-megauploadcom/2012/01/19/gIQAJPIRBQ_story.html)
QuoteMcLEAN, Va. — One of the world's largest file-sharing sites was shut down Thursday, and its founder and several company executives were charged with violating piracy laws, federal prosecutors said.
An indictment accuses Megaupload.com of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and other content. The indictment was unsealed one day after websites including Wikipedia and Craigslist shut down in protest of two congressional proposals intended to thwart online piracy.
The Justice Department said in a statement said that Kim Dotcom, formerly known as Kim Schmitz, and three others were arrested Thursday in New Zealand at the request of U.S. officials. Two other defendants are at large.
Megaupload was unique not only because of its massive size and the volume of downloaded content, but also because it had high-profile support from celebrities, musicians and other content producers who are most often the victims of copyright infringement and piracy. Before the website was taken down, it contained endorsements from Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys and Kanye West, among others.
The Hong Kong-based company listed Swizz Beatz, a musician who married Keys in 2010, as its CEO.
Before the site was taken down, it posted a statement saying allegations that it facilitated massive breaches of copyright laws were "grotesquely overblown."
"The fact is that the vast majority of Mega's Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue. We have some good ideas. Please get in touch," the statement said.
A lawyer who represented the company in a lawsuit last year declined comment Thursday.
Megaupload is considered a "cyberlocker," in which users can upload and transfer files that are too large to send by email. Such sites can have perfectly legitimate uses. But the Motion Picture Association of America, which has campaigned for a crackdown on piracy, estimated that the vast majority of content being shared on Megaupload was in violation of copyright laws.
The website allowed users to download films, TV shows, games, music and other content for free, but made money by charging subscriptions to people who wanted access to faster download speeds or extra content. The website also sold advertising.
The indictment was returned in the Eastern District of Virginia, which claimed jurisdiction in part because some of the alleged pirated materials were hosted on leased servers in Ashburn, Va.
Dotcom, a resident of both Hong Kong and New Zealand, and a dual citizen of Finland and Germany, made more than $42 million from the conspiracy in 2010 alone, according to the indictment.
Dotcom is founder, former CEO and current chief innovation officer of Megaupload.
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And 4chan retaliates.
Source (http://"http://rt.com/usa/news/anonymous-doj-universal-sopa-235/")
QuoteHacktivists with the collective Anonymous are waging an attack on the website for the White House after successfully breaking the sites for the Department of Justice, Universal Music Group, RIAA and Motion Picture Association of America.
In response to today's federal raid on the file sharing service Megaupload, hackers with the online collective Anonymous have broken the websites for the Department of Justice, Universal Music Group, RIAA and Motion Picture Association of America.
"It was in retaliation for Megaupload, as was the concurrent attack on Justice.org," Anonymous operative Barrett Brown tells RT on Thursday afternoon.
Only hours before the DoJ and Universal sites went down, news broke that Megaupload, a massive file sharing site with a reported 50 million daily users, was taken down by federal agents. Four people linked to Megaupload were arrested in New Zealand and an international crackdown led agents to serving at least 20 search warrants across the globe.
Less than an hour after the DoJ and Universal sites came down, the website for the RIAA, or Recording Industry Association of America, went offline as well. Shortly before 6 p.m EST, the government's Copyright.gov site went down as well. Thirty minutes later came the site for BMI, or Broadcast Music, Inc, the licensing organization that represents some of the biggest names in music.
Also on Thursday, MPAA.org also returned an error as Anonymous hacktivists managed to bring the website for the Motion Picture Association of America. The group, headed by former senator Chris Dodd, is an adamant supporter of both PIPA and SOPA legislation.
Universal Music Group, or UMG, is the largest record company in the United States and under its umbrella are the labels Interscope-Geffen-A&M, the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group and Mercury Records.
Brown adds that "more is coming" and Anonymous-aligned hacktivists are pursuing a joint effort with others to "damage campaign raising abilities of remaining Democrats who support SOPA."
Although many members of Congress have just this week changed their stance on the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, the raid on Megaupload Thursday proved that the feds don't need SOPA or its sister legislation, PIPA, in order to pose a blow to the Web.
Brown adds that operatives involved in the project will use an "experimental campaign" and search engine optimization techniques "whereby to forever saddle some of these congressmen with their record on this issue."
What?!
One: Megaupload is a Hong Kong based site, and as such, it's ultimately in the jurisdiction of the Peoples Republic of China.
Two: Why is our government bowing down to America and arresting people for a crime not committed in america? (i.e. Fuck the National party; that's why I voted Libertarianz in the last election)
Quote from: ebalosus on January 19, 2012, 08:02:23 PMOne: Megaupload is a Hong Kong based site, and as such, it's ultimately in the jurisdiction of the Peoples Republic of China.
When has that stopped them before? This is Team America: World Police!
QuoteTwo: Why is our government bowing down to America and arresting people for a crime not committed in america? (i.e. Fuck the National party; that's why I voted Libertarianz in the last election)
We have guns, you know...
Want to know the sad thing. Someone who will state that they will reduce our status as world police will never get into office. As such, be prepared to see us arrest people who have never been in our country for crimes committed in other countries.
you have got to be kidding me...
I had an account there!
and seriously, why the hell isn't China doing anything about this? are they really going to let these people in to do this?
well, at least I got some free lulz from these anonymous hacktivists.
Quote from: kiri2tsubasa on January 19, 2012, 09:15:05 PM
Want to know the sad thing. Someone who will state that they will reduce our status as world police will never get into office. As such, be prepared to see us arrest people who have never been in our country for crimes committed in other countries.
You've got a good point there. Things like this, and the assassination of bin Laden, just go to show that the american government believes that it has universal jurisdiction to do what it pleases.
How much till the world looks at the US and says "Get your government under control or we will!"?
Quote from: Lord T Hawkeye on January 20, 2012, 12:52:06 AM
How much till the world looks at the US and says "Get your government under control or we will!"?
Pretty soon I hope. Though I can not come up with a scenario that doesn't end with us attacking said countries.
Quote from: kiri2tsubasa on January 20, 2012, 11:20:44 AMPretty soon I hope. Though I can not come up with a scenario that doesn't end with us attacking said countries.
The only ones I can think of involve electing either Ron Paul or Lee Wrights as president.
Quote from: MrBogosity on January 20, 2012, 11:40:16 AM
The only ones I can think of involve electing either Ron Paul or Lee Wrights as president.
and with a cynical eye, how likely do you think that is?
So, some sleazy scumbags being arrested is a bad thing now?
(http://i.imgur.com/18tUE.png)
Mediafire -> in Texas....
Nothing happened to it. The government doesn't even have a sense of consistency.
Quote from: Anpanman on January 20, 2012, 04:44:45 PM
Mediafire -> in Texas....
Nothing happened to it. The government doesn't even have a sense of consistency.
is mediafire smaller as a business than Megaupload?
(http://usdoj.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/banner.jpg)
Usually when I see a warning like that it is from ICE not the FBI. I'm pretty sure the timing of this is no accident. I would love to know how they claim MegaUpload is involved in racketeering.
Quote from: MrBogosity on January 20, 2012, 11:40:16 AM
The only ones I can think of involve electing either Ron Paul or Lee Wrights as president.
Or the inevitable happens, they run completely out of money and have no choice but to bring all the troops home and stop their meddling.
Cause we all know that's the reason why they're doing this. Because they're out of money and scrapping for shakedowns no matter how flimsy the cause.
Quote from: Goaticus on January 20, 2012, 09:07:39 PM
Usually when I see a warning like that it is from ICE not the FBI. I'm pretty sure the timing of this is no accident. I would love to know how they claim MegaUpload is involved in racketeering.
Racketeering laws like RICO are written so vaguely they could apply to almost anything.