Megaupload returns as Me.ga

Kim Dotcom and friends are making good on their promise to revive MegaUpload. The popular file sharing destination was abruptly shut down by U.S. officials earlier this year and Kim Dotcom’s New Zealand mansion raided by American and New Zealand authorities. Me.ga will be the new home for MegaUpload’s upcoming replacement and is scheduled to launch January 19.

To work around the troubles Megaupload had, Me.ga will attempt to obfuscate files by utilizing AES encryption. Dotcom hopes to conceal the contents of uploaded files from himself and Mega’s staff members. Ideally, this ensures everyone but the uploader (and those whom the uploader shares access with) remain ignorant of the content Mega hosts. “You hold the keys to what you store in the cloud, not us,” claims the upcoming website.

One of the accusations made against Dotcom in his legal battle was that he knew MegaUpload was being used to host illegal content. If ignorance of file contents can be used as an effective legal defense, then it seems Dotcom’s plan may shift the legal burden to uploaders.

Additional steps Dotcom is taking to keep Mega (and its users) safe includes hosting the site and its files on severs and with companies located outside the U.S. The website will also be mirrored across multiple servers spanning multiple locales ensuring disruptions in service (i.e. disasters, server raids) don’t interfere with its operation. These locations are said to have laws which Mega will be in full compliance with, under its current plans.

Source: Reuters