Megaupload.com Is Shut Down By Feds

Sites include megaupload.com . Published on January 28th, 2012. Written by Anthony West.

The battle between the big-money backed lawmakers in America and defenders of internet freedom is getting nastier and more intense as the days go by. There have been casualties on both sides, and the latest to suffer is Megaupload.com, a file sharing site that was recently shut down by the US government for alleged copyright violations.

The timing of the shutdown is interesting, because it was only a day after Google and Wikipedia spearheaded a mass online demonstration against the SOPA bill. This coordinated effort led to the back pedaling by several lawmakers and the shutdown of Megaupload is being seen as a direct reprisal.

There were massive coordinated arrest of people connected with Megaupload and the dragnet stretched from Germany to Hong Kong. The Justice department is alleging that Megaupload costs entertainment producers (Hollywood and Music big-wigs) over $500 million in lost revenues from TV shows, movies and music.

Megaupload has been operating for years a premier file sharing site and although there are some that would use it for sharing copyrighted content, it has for years been a convenient source for sharing legitimate information. The RIAA and the Justice Department are obviously over the moon about the takedown, although there have been moves to re-establish the site on its own dedicated IP address—something which the PIPA bill was trying to remedy.

Whatever you feel about sites like Megaupload, the push by the US government to limit freedoms on the internet is real. Those who care will have to make their voices heard.

Are you in favour of SOPA? Let us know in the comments below.