Codeword.org

Recently MegaUpload.com, one of the world’s biggest (if not the biggest) file sharing websites, was taken down by the FBI.  Due to it’s extensive use as a means of distributing software, music, videos, etc. illegally, it became a target for the government in an attempt to crackdown online piracy.  MegaUpload wasn’t necessarily designed specifically for piracy reasons, it was just a way to share any file with anyone online.  The government tried to argue that the reason they cracked down on MegaUpload was because copyright claims were being ignored when artists would ask MegaUpload to remove the illegal content.

Now, when users attempt to go to MegaUpload.com, they are greeted with the standard FBI warning:

The owner of MegaUpload had an estimated 50 million USD in assets seized by the FBI (which is strange to me seeing how he’s located in New Zealand).  He was believed to have been making over 40 million USD a year in revenue from MegaUpload alone.  There are pictures floating around online showing his cars (with license plates like MAFIA, POLICE, etc.) being hauled off, as well as pictures of his very large state which even has giraffes roaming the property.

In terms of file sharing websites, there are many alternatives to MegaUpload available, and new ones will probably emerge now that MegaUpload has bitten the dust.

What I’m concerned about is if the crackdown on these types of websites will continue.  That isn’t to say I spend my time online searching for copyrighted content to steal, but one of my most frequently visited websites is Grooveshark.com, which I have written about before.  Grooveshark is a fantastic website where you can find high quality versions of almost all music and stream it free of charge.  I’m not entirely sure how they are able to financially compensate the artists or if they are even trying to, but the latter could end up making Grooveshark a target for the FBI in the future if they aren’t.