Kim Dotcom: Megaupload Is Dead. Long Live Mega!

[menotu]

It'll be interesting to see the uptake on this service if/when it starts or will users be uber wary of using it (this is a different service to the Megabox he blogged about starting)
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By Charles Graeber - 10.18.12 - wired

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They call it Mega and describe it as a unique tool that will solve the liability problems faced by cloud storage services, enhance the privacy rights of internet users, and provide themselves with a simple new business. Meanwhile, critics fear that Mega is simply a revamped version of Megaupload, cleverly designed to skirt the old business’s legal issues without addressing the concerns of Internet piracy.

What Mega and Megaupload do have in common is that they are both one-click, subscriber-based cloud platforms that allow customers to upload, store, access, and share large files. Dotcom, and his Mega partner Mathias Ortmann say the difference is that now those files will first be one-click-encrypted right in a client’s browser, using the so-called Advanced Encryption Standard algorithm. The user is then provided with a second unique key for that file’s decryption.

It will be up to users, and third-party app developers, to control access to any given uploaded file, be it a song, movie, videogame, book, or simple text document. Internet libertarians will surely embrace this new capability.

And because the decryption key is not stored with Mega, the company would have no means to view the uploaded file on its server. It would, Ortmann explains, be impossible for Mega to know, or be responsible for, its users’ uploaded content — a state of affairs engineered to create an ironclad “safe harbor” from liability for Mega, and added piece of mind for the user.

“If servers are lost, if the government comes into a data center and rapes it, if someone hacks the server or steals it, it would give him nothing,” Dotcom explains. “Whatever is uploaded to the site, it is going to be remain closed and private without the key.”

Full article

[menotu]

by Jon Brodkin - Nov 1, 2012 2:02

Kim Dotcom unveils "Me.ga" domain, mega plan to fool law enforcement

Mega, heavily encrypted service to replace Megaupload, will launch Jan. 20.

Kim Dotcom last night announced the domain for his new file sharing service—Me.ga—and details of his plan to evade shutdown attempts from law enforcement. Me.ga is reportedly scheduled to launch on January 20, 2013, the one-year anniversary of Dotcom's arrest on copyright infringement charges and the shutdown of Megaupload.

Here's what Dotcom is promising:

        Easy privacy: In the past, securely storing and transferring confidential information required the installation of dedicated software. The new Mega encrypts and decrypts your data transparently in your browser, on the fly. You hold the keys to what you store in the cloud, not us.

        Online Mega Manager: Before, you had to install the Mega Manager on every computer you used Megaupload from. Now, high-speed parallel batch uploading and downloading with resume capability are integral parts of the Mega website.

        Live global cloud file system: Before, you had to create and update file folders manually. Now, you have a true cloud file system at your fingertips, including cross-account folder sharing for easy online collaboration. You can even access your cloud drive as a file system mount or drive letter!

        Multi-centric data warehousing: Before, we operated only a handful of storage nodes located in expensive premium data centers. Now, thanks to encryption, we can connect a large number of hosting partners around the world without worrying about privacy breaches. Our servers will be closer to our customers."

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/11/kim-dotcom-unveils-me-ga-domain-mega-plan-to-fool-law-enforcement/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arstechnica%2Findex+%28Ars+Technica+-+All+content%29

[menotu]

Kim Dotcom loses new domain in preemptive strike by government

Me.ga shut down by Gabon, now controlled by one of Dotcom's rivals

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/11/kim-dotcom-loses-new-domain-in-preemptive-strike-by-government/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arstechnica%2Findex+%28Ars+Technica+-+All+content%29

[horusfalcon]

Kim Dotcom loses new domain in preemptive strike by government

Me.ga shut down by Gabon, now controlled by one of Dotcom's rivals

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/11/kim-dotcom-loses-new-domain-in-preemptive-strike-by-government/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arstechnica%2Findex+%28Ars+Technica+-+All+content%29

Now that does seem like dirty pool, doesn't it?

For anybody who still has any delusions about AES being "gubbermint-proof", let me remind you of the sheer masses of computing power at the disposal of the Feds.  It'd be less than a minute's time on NSA's supercomputers to winkle out the content of an AES-encrypted file, maybe even less... keep reading.

Here's an actually pretty good primer on AES, including some of the known attacks that have been successful against it, from Wikipedia, of all places.  Note that the NSA endorsed the adoption of AES as a government standard?

Now, if you want something truly encrypted, use TrueCrypt or something like it that offers a wide variety of encryption algorithms which can be combined.  The government has admitted to scratching their collective heads for over a year on more than one occasion where it was used.

Now Mr. Dotcom will become a modern-day Robin Hood.  It's a shame, really, but two wrongs still don't make a right.

Later On,
D

[Crow]

Apparently Kim Dotcom can sue New Zealand government

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/personal-finance/news/article.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=10852587


Screenshots of his new Mega site

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/12/07/kim-dotcom-posts-screenshots-of-upcoming-mega-site-key-generator-registration-and-file-manager/?awesm=tnw.to_e0Sgv&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Spreadus&utm_campaign=social%20media


Or maybe he won't    

"Prime Minister John Key is responsible, he is the minister in charge of the GCSB and this happened under his watch," Dr Norman said. "He didn't monitor what they were doing."
NZ First leader Winston Peters said that Dotcom will be able to sue the government, the police, and the GCSB.
"This will end up costing taxpayers millions of dollars in legal fees to fight the case and in compensation to Dotcom," he said.
US authorities have laid charges against Dotcom, and an extradition hearing is due to start next year, probably in June or July.
Dotcom said in October that he would prefer not to sue.
"We love it here, and we don't want to burden taxpayers."

http://www.zdnet.com/dotcom-can-sue-for-millions-nz-opposition-7000008444/

[Just17]

More interesting turns  

So now Dotcom should be able, through the NZ courts, get all the items that were confiscated during the illegal raid, returned to him.

It will be interesting to hear what became of all those items ....... did some end up in the USA?


I believe the NZ public should be hoping that Dotcom sues .......  not so much for the money but to bring the perpetrators through the court system, and hopefully make them think again when tempted to spy on a NZ citizen or resident.

[Crow]

More interesting turns  

So now Dotcom should be able, through the NZ courts, get all the items that were confiscated during the illegal raid, returned to him.

It will be interesting to hear what became of all those items ....... did some end up in the USA?


I believe the NZ public should be hoping that Dotcom sues .......  not so much for the money but to bring the perpetrators through the court system, and hopefully make them think again when tempted to spy on a NZ citizen or resident.

I don't think they can return his items, some USA Justice Department have them. Dotcom may sue and donate the money, he mentioned something like that in tweeter

[Just17]

More interesting turns  

So now Dotcom should be able, through the NZ courts, get all the items that were confiscated during the illegal raid, returned to him.

It will be interesting to hear what became of all those items ....... did some end up in the USA?


I believe the NZ public should be hoping that Dotcom sues .......  not so much for the money but to bring the perpetrators through the court system, and hopefully make them think again when tempted to spy on a NZ citizen or resident.

I don't think they can return his items, some USA Justice Department have them. Dotcom may sue and donate the money, he mentioned something like that in tweeter

If that is the case then there are some interesting times ahead for the NZ authorities 

[Tony]

Looking back to 'NZ residency' in 2010, the Dotcom and NZ relantionship was pretty cozy.
New Zealand's decision to grant residency

"...While living in Hong Kong, Dotcom visited New Zealand for 10 days in December 2008 and again for two months from August 2009. On his 2009 visit he bought 12 cars valued at $3.2 million and leased a helicopter on a stand-by basis.[34] He applied for residency which was granted in November 2010. The decision was made by the New Zealand Immigration Department despite his foreign convictions and despite being persona non grata in Thailand, after officials used a special direction to waive "good character" requirements. Warwick Tuck, head of New Zealand Immigration, said Dotcom was granted residency under the investor plus category, which allows people to gain residency if they invest $10 million in New Zealand. It was anticipated that Dotcom would contribute to New Zealand through investment, consumption and philanthropic activities ...

"... philanthropic activities". Hehe, that's quite funny, I think.