Megaupload's comeback as Mega draws nearer
When the file hosting website Megaupload was taken down with a bang and its founders taken into custody after a policy raid, it shook up the Internet. Not only became it clear quickly thereafter that the operation should not have taken place in this form at all, but also that other file hosting operators began to panic and started to exit out of the business or change their business model to avoid the same fate as Megaupload.
It is unclear if there will ever be made a single conviction in the Megaupload case. What happened though was that the site's business has been interrupted for the last ten months which some in favor of the takedown may see as a victory. Then again, the file sharing scene that is using file hosting sites to spread files on the Internet simply adjusted to the new situation and moved on to new hosts, like it is always done. As far as rightful file owners go, it is not clear if they will ever see their files again.
The Megaupload operators in the meantime are preparing the launch of their new file hosting service Mega which they hope will not only bring back much of the traffic that they lost but also keep away any attempt to take down the service due to new features implemented in it.
The basic idea behind Mega is that the service itself knows nothing about the files its users load up to the service. This is done via on the fly encryption and decryption in the web browser. The user holds the key - literally - to the files stored on Mega, and it is up to the user to share that key with others. The second corner stone of Mega is the use of a large number of hosting partners around the world instead of a few data centers like Megaupload did. This not only improves the service's defense against takedowns, as it is complex to raid targets in many different countries and regions, but also the speed of downloads thanks to servers being closer to users of the service. Mega won't operate servers in the United States for obvious reason.
It is too early for a verdict, considering that Mega has not launched yet. I'm probably not the only one who has a few concerns about the new service.
- It is link to Megaupload makes it a prime target, or at least something that authorities will take a closer than usual look at when it starts its operations.
- Encryption may be a good way to protect user data on the servers and show to the world that it is the user's responsibility if files get shared, but that does not really change the fact that Mega will benefit from those operations by providing the infrastructure and earning money from it.
If you plan on using Mega for file hosting, I suggest you have a backup of your files ready either locally or at another file hosting service just in case something bad happens to the file host as well. This is actually a sound thing to do for all files hosted on the Internet.
Are you interested in the new Mega or file hosting services in general? Which services do you use to host and download files from?
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Hey Martin, thanks for the article, a section or two doesn’t read quite right in English though I do understand your intent:
” Not only became it clear quickly thereafter that the operation should not have taken place in this form at all, but also that other file hosting operators began to panic and started to exit out of the business or change their business model to avoid the same fate as Megaupload.”
and…
“It is unclear if there will ever be made a single conviction in the Megaupload case.”
How about this? Feel free to use it as long as I can get a little editing cred for it. :)
It became clear rather quickly, that the operation should not have taken place in this form to begin with. Additionally, other file hosting services either dropped their service entirely, blocked U.S. users, or changed their business models in knee-jerk reactions to the Megaupload takedown hoping to avoid the same fate.
and…
It’s unclear if the investigation against Megaupload will result in a single conviction.
Just trying to help. :)
Im curious
will the download speed still the same for free users?
if i recall correctly the old MU(free users) the download speed is max(no limits)
will it still the same to this new MU?
It is not really clear how this will be handled by the new service, nor is it know how Mega plans to earn revenue. It is likely that some of the features get copied over from Megaupload though.