MegaUpload disables file sharing over legal case 

The US government's takedown of file-storage site Megaupload.com last week has prompted another online storage service to voluntarily disable file sharing between users.

 

Filesonic said its sharing functionality has been disabled, such that users can only upload and retrieve files they personally uploaded.

 

"All sharing functionality on Filesonic is now disabled. Our service can only be used to upload and retrieve files that you have uploaded personally," read the banner message on its site (www.filesonic.com).

 

Tech site The Next Web said remains unclear whether Filesonic has a location in the US, although it has offices in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

 

But it noted that unlike Megaupload, which was open about its role sharing music without charge, Filesonic bills itself as an “unlimited storage company.”

 

"While its primary function is to store files which can be accessed from another machine at a later date, its file sharing feature meant that it could be also allow users to share content between each other, as Megaupload did," The Next Web said.

 

"It remains to be seen whether other firms will follow Filesonic’s lead. While disabling a feature which is just part of a service, as it did, is one thing, the repercussions of such a move are company-ending for dedicated file sharing services on the Web," it added.

 

Last week, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) shut down Megaupload and called it “one of the largest criminal copyright cases ever.”

 

Despite all the drama, Megaupload appears to be readying itself for a new launch outside of the US and its laws, The Next Web added. — TJD, GMA News