MegaUpload Users Plan to Sue the FBI over Lost Files

[Sam I Am]

MegaUpload Users Plan to Sue the FBI over Lost Files

hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people used the site to share research data, work documents, personal video collections.

As of today, these people are still unsure whether they will ever get their personal belongings back.

In a response, Pirate Parties worldwide have started to make a list of all the people affected by the raids, and they are planning to file an official complaint against the US authorities.

“The widespread damage caused by the sudden closure of Megaupload is unjustified and completely disproportionate to the aim intended,” they announce.

“For this reason Pirates of Catalonia, in collaboration with Pirate Parties International and other Pirate Parties, have begun investigating these potential breaches of law and will facilitate submission of complaints against the US authorities in as many countries as possible, to ensure a positive and just result.”

“This initiative is a starting point for legitimate internet users to help defend themselves from the legal abuses promoted by those wishing to aggressively lock away cultural materials for their own financial gain.”

Complete Story (https://plus.google.com/u/0/110717292631787068538/posts)

[Yeagermeister]

Good luck with that

[Hoofbite]

People who used the site legitimately should have never lost their files.

[BrAinPaiNt]

People who used the site legitimately should have never lost their files.

People who are using it for work related material don't seem too legit to me, at the very least they seem pretty stupid using a site that is a known pirate site...it probably does not help their case that two businesses that are filing the suit have PIRATE in their name, using a pirated site and want to claim about legit business files being lost.

As someone else said...good luck with that.

[Hoofbite]

People who are using it for work related material don't seem too legit to me, at the very least they seem pretty stupid using a site that is a known pirate site...it probably does not help their case that two businesses that are filing the suit have PIRATE in their name, using a pirated site and want to claim about legit business files being lost.

As someone else said...good luck with that.

Stupid or not, anyone who used the site legally shouldn't lose anything.

I downloaded stuff from there. I think I uploaded a movie clip from a vacation so a friend who went with me could have the clip. I've even uploaded stuff to that site that was school-related.

Why should anyone care what other people do on a site if they are using it legally?

[BrAinPaiNt]

Stupid or not, anyone who used the site legally shouldn't lose anything.

I downloaded stuff from there. I think I uploaded a movie clip from a vacation so a friend who went with me could have the clip. I've even uploaded stuff to that site that was school-related.

Why should anyone care what other people do on a site if they are using it legally?

Uh...maybe they would care if they are smart and don't want to lose legit files that are being stored on a site that is known for storing illegal files and could run a high risk of being shut down.

If my car needed body work on it, I would not take it to a shop that is mostly known to be a chop shop.

If I needed to board my dog for the weekend I would not send it to some place that is mostly known for having dog fights.

If I wanted to take the wife out for a night on the town I would not take her to a bar that is known for high drug traffic and bar fights.

If I wanted to store personal or business files I would not put them on site that is mostly known for piracy.

If I wanted to take the wife out shopping for jewelry, I would not take her to a store that is known for mostly selling stolen jewelry.

But I am kind of silly like that.

[Sam I Am]

People who are using it for work related material don't seem too legit to me, at the very least they seem pretty stupid using a site that is a known pirate site...it probably does not help their case that two businesses that are filing the suit have PIRATE in their name, using a pirated site and want to claim about legit business files being lost.

As someone else said...good luck with that.

Actually, these types of sites are heavily used by legit companies to transfer large files between people / locations. (large media, data sets, etc) When these types of sites first started appearing, they were created and used for legit purposes. Pirates saw that they could exploit the service, and did so.

Remember, early on. People didn't have 5mb connections to their house or work. Not only that, upload speeds were choked, while download speeds were faster. So direct sharing wasn't always possible. (ie, FTP, etc) Most email providers wouldn't allow attachments over 2-10mb either. Some still don't.

[theogt]

I don't pirate much material anymore, if any. I've used megaupload legitimately. I knew people used it to pirate just like any other similar site. I don't think it had any particular reputation different from other similar site -- it was just one of the most popular. I don't think there's any real argument here that this should have been done such that legit users were not harmed. The "should have known better" argument just doesn't pass the smell test here.

[BrAinPaiNt]

I don't pirate much material anymore, if any. I've used megaupload legitimately. I knew people used it to pirate just like any other similar site. I don't think it had any particular reputation different from other similar site -- it was just one of the most popular. I don't think there's any real argument here that this should have been done such that legit users were not harmed. The "should have known better" argument just doesn't pass the smell test here.

Well I guess being dumb is not against the law.

Maybe we can change the old saying of a fool and his money are soon parted to a fool and his files are soon parted. :laugh2:

[Sam I Am]

Uh...maybe they would care if they are smart and don't want to lose legit files

Umm, no. Nobody has to right to take your legit files just because someone you don't know is doing something they shouldn't.

These people have a valid complaint and the FBI or whoever else should have thought about this already. They can't legally confiscate information that isn't theirs and not illegal and keep it.

This is the MPAA paying government officials to do stuff they shouldn't. The MPAA needs to get their ***es handed to them. People should go to jail for corruption too.

[BrAinPaiNt]

Umm, no. Nobody has to right to take your legit files just because someone you don't know is doing something they shouldn't.

These people have a valid complaint and the FBI or whoever else should have thought about this already. They can't legally confiscate information that isn't theirs and not illegal and keep it.

This is the MPAA paying government officials to do stuff they shouldn't. The MPAA needs to get their ***es handed to them. People should go to jail for corruption too.

Sure they can. Does not mean they can keep them or destroy them. But they can shut a site down while doing and investigation and say it is all evidence and take their time sifting through everything.

People on here like to talk about personal responsibility but it seems it only comes into play when it fits their side of the arguments.

If you are stupid enough to use a site for legit files that is known far and wide as a site that is widely used for illegal content...you run the risk of that site being shut down. If you were smart and responsible in the first place you would never use that site for important business files.

And if they use the RICO act they can do pretty much what they want with the stuff on there.

I don't support the RICO act but it has wide powers. People can lose pretty much everything from the get go when it is used.

Sorry...I just don't feel sorry for people that lost stuff on there because I think if something is that important you would not put it on a site that is mostly known to be used by pirates and uploading/downloading illegal material.

Sue me.:laugh2:

[tupperware]

What if the files weren't business related? I'd agree that it probably isn't wise to rely on megaupload for your critical files. But what if they weren't so critical. Is it still okay to lose those files forever?

[BrAinPaiNt]

What if the files weren't business related? I'd agree that it probably isn't wise to rely on megaupload for your critical files. But what if they weren't so critical. Is it still okay to lose those files forever?

Never said it was OK to lose those files forever. Never said I liked the idea of it.

I just said it is stupid for people to put them on there if it were legit and important to them or business and that I don't feel sorry for them.

I am sure my stance will be misunderstood, misconstrued, multilated,(oxford comma) and taking out of context to make it seem like I am on the side of the FBI over this issue...when that is not the case.

:cool:

[AmarilloCowboyFan]

Never said it was OK to lose those files forever. Never said I liked the idea of it.

I just said it is stupid for people to put them on there if it were legit and important to them or business and that I don't feel sorry for them.

I am sure my stance will be misunderstood, misconstrued, multilated,(oxford comma) and taking out of context to make it seem like I am on the side of the FBI over this issue...when that is not the case.

:cool:

:laugh1:

[tupperware]

Never said it was OK to lose those files forever. Never said I liked the idea of it.

I just said it is stupid for people to put them on there if it were legit and important to them or business and that I don't feel sorry for them.

I am sure my stance will be misunderstood, misconstrued, multilated,(oxford comma) and taking out of context to make it seem like I am on the side of the FBI over this issue...when that is not the case.

:cool:
I'm not even sure what your stance is. If you think people are stupid for hosting business files on the site I would agree with that. It still doesn't address the fact that it's wrong. It seems like your stance was that, those who uploaded the business files don't seem too legit and are stupid for it. Therefore, they don't deserve their files back.

That's what I got from it at least.

[Sam I Am]

Sure they can. Does not mean they can keep them or destroy them. But they can shut a site down while doing and investigation and say it is all evidence and take their time sifting through everything.


Hmm. Actually, I'm not sure they have the right to search private parties information stores. This would be like getting a warrant against a self-storage company and then using to search all their customers storage for criminal paraphernalia. Any information they find in someones storage that wasn't directly named on the warrant probably wouldn't be admissible in court. Each storage unit is considered personal property of the person who holds the lease on it and should require a warrant to search that person's property. The same would go for data stores on a server.

I'm obviously not a lawyer, but this sounds correct.


If you are stupid enough to use a site for legit files that is known far and wide as a site that is widely used for illegal content...you run the risk of that site being shut down. If you were smart and responsible in the first place you would never use that site for important business files.

Again, a self-storage unit would not work that way. The site would be ceased, but they would have to return everything to anyone not named on the warrant and couldn't use anything against them.

[BrAinPaiNt]

I'm not even sure what your stance is. If you think people are stupid for hosting business files on the site I would agree with that. It still doesn't address the fact that it's wrong. It seems like your stance was that, those who uploaded the business files don't seem too legit and are stupid for it. Therefore, they don't deserve their files back.

That's what I got from it at least.

I don't think they are legit because they are stupid for doing it. Does not mean I don't think they should get their files back.

I would never put any business files on a site that is known to be widely used for piracy. IF I did and the site was shut down and the files I uploaded were important and sensitive documents I would expect I would be fired for uploading them to a site like that in the first place.

There are other ways to backup important business files. There are other ways to transfer important business files to someone else.

[Dallas]

You guys argue more just to argue. The USA has the right to shut this place down if they have valid proof it is involved in these illegal activites. The good folks will get filtered out.

Also..legit enterprise businesses should have either SFTP or FTPS server in place for these purposes, hell I have a couple of them for my customers alone. Why on earth you want your sensitive data involved in an offsite drop box location where you have ZERO control once archive bits have been applied. You want to delete it? Ok it's gone from your file manager view but I STILL HAVE IT IN MY archive snapshots. At SOA we are not allowed to keep data externally unless it is non sensitive data. Whoa to the user who is caught doing it, actually.

If you need access to my files legitamately, then you CALL ME and you ask me and I set you up a valid authenticated account, which I can audit at my leisure. You then use that to come inside my house to get your files.

Far more is involved in this than most realize.

I used to handle IT services for litigation @ BP Alaska. This was normal SOP for the DOJ. They show up w/ court order for 300 users HDs and we seized them and then we would do audits on all of them searching for the suspected smoking gun emails, which we typically found. This sometimes took months, sometimes a year or more, its normal. It will all get sorted out in the end. The bad accounts and there will be millions will be seized and the legitimate users will have his/her information back. It's actually easier w/ MU because everyone has an actual account. Validation will most likely take a while, because they are after the big fish here. The little valid fish will get left out in the cold for a while, but the information will be provided back to the customers, just not in the time frame they probably are hoping for.

Sucks...yes...but its pretty SOP and I have no sympathy for any souls using a well known point-click download site for piracy files to have his/her "research" data associated with.

Maybe they should have read more about the giant site in the 1st place.

[Sam I Am]

I don't think they are legit because they are stupid for doing it. Does not mean I don't think they should get their files back.

I would never put any business files on a site that is known to be widely used for piracy. IF I did and the site was shut down and the files I uploaded were important and sensitive documents I would expect I would be fired for uploading them to a site like that in the first place.

There are other ways to backup important business files. There are other ways to transfer important business files to someone else.

What file sharing site would you use that you know 100% isn't used for piracy?

btw, they aren't just used for backup. Media companies share large files like videos or hi-res images. People transfer large databases of information. Especially scientists and education facilities can transfer data files that reach terabytes in size.

I used to work for a marketing company. We normally transferred 20 to 150 files a day that were 300mb to 2gb compressed in size.

We had to have five Internet different connections in our office just to handle the bandwidth we used transferring files to our customers each day. (We had a pair of Fatpipe WARP (http://www.fatpipeinc.com/warp/)s, to manage all of them) Most of these file sharing companies didn't even exist when we started that.

[Sam I Am]

You know nothing Dallas Snow. :laugh2:

[BrAinPaiNt]

You guys argue more just to argue. The USA has the right to shut this place down if they have valid proof it is involved in these illegal activites. The good folks will get filtered out.

Also..legit enterprise businesses should have either SFTP or FTPS server in place for these purposes, hell I have a couple of them for my customers alone. Why on earth you want your sensitive data involved in an offsite drop box location where you have ZERO control once archive bits have been applied. You want to delete it? Ok it's gone from your file manager view but I STILL HAVE IT IN MY archive snapshots. At SOA we are not allowed to keep data externally unless it is non sensitive data. Whoa to the user who is caught doing it, actually.

If you need access to my files legitamately, then you CALL ME and you ask me and I set you up a valid authenticated account, which I can audit at my leisure. You then use that to come inside my house to get your files.

Far more is involved in this than most realize.

I used to handle IT services for litigation @ BP Alaska. This was normal SOP for the DOJ. They show up w/ court order for 300 users HDs and we seized them and then we would do audits on all of them searching for the suspected smoking gun emails, which we typically found. This sometimes took months, sometimes a year or more, its normal. It will all get sorted out in the end. The bad accounts and there will be millions will be seized and the legitimate users will have his/her information back. It's actually easier w/ MU because everyone has an actual account. Validation will most likely take a while, because they are after the big fish here. The little valid fish will get left out in the cold for a while, but the information will be provided back to the customers, just not in the time frame they probably are hoping for.

Sucks...yes...but its pretty SOP and I have no sympathy for any souls using a well known point-click download site for piracy files to have his/her "research" data associated with.

Maybe they should have read more about the giant site in the 1st place.

Ding Ding Ding

For the life of I just can not see a smart, legit business having people upload business files to a site like that.

Plus if you look at the name of a couple of the businesses bringing the suit and they have PIRATE in their name complaining about losing files on a site that is known as a pirating site...well good luck to you.

Where I work we do work for the state. Any time I have to send files to the state I do it via FTP to their secure server which we have to change the password on a regular basis. In some online sites the state uses we have to have secure certificates and state issued username and passwords. There are always security protocols in place and we NEVER use an online storage site that can be used by anyone.

Just stupid stupid stupid to put up business information on a site like that.

[Sam I Am]

BP. Small businesses. Not all have the bandwidth, hardware, or expertise to host their own FTP server. So they hire an outside firm. A file hosting company. It's what they do!

btw, Dallas says, call me and I will do it for you. Umm, Dallas. That makes you the next MegaUpload. :muttley:

[Dallas]

You know nothing Dallas Snow. :laugh2:
:laugh2:

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ll7ykzHiIk1qemxajo1_500.jpg (http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ll7ykzHiIk1qemxajo1_500.jpg)

[tupperware]

Yeah I'm not contesting at all that it would be stupid for most businesses to rely on a site like MegaUpload.

[BrAinPaiNt]

BP. Small businesses. Not all have the bandwidth, hardware, or expertise to host their own FTP server. So they hire an outside firm. A file hosting company. It's what they do!

btw, Dallas says, call me and I will do it for you. Umm, Dallas. That makes you the next MegaUpload. :muttley:

And I would hope that most businesses would make sure they are using a hosting company that would not be open to the general public, would not be sharing their servers with every tom, dick or harry who wants to upload movie files they copied and that said company would be sure to have enforced protocols in place to deal with vast...VAST uploads and downloads of pirated software and files.

Sorry guy. Any legit business that wants to do something with a hosting site should do a little more research and not be associated with a site that is mostly known for illegally uploaded or downloaded content.

There is no way that site did not know they had a vast amount of pirated files on the site. There is no way that site did not know that there were many people downloading illegal content on that site. And any business that wants to have important and private business documents stored on that site should have taken 10 minutes to do some research and see what that site was and come to the conclusion that they should not use it.

[Dallas]

And I would hope that most businesses would make sure they are using a hosting company that would not be open to the general public, would not be sharing their servers with every tom, dick or harry who wants to upload movie files they copied and that said company would be sure to have enforced protocols in place to deal with vast...VAST uploads and downloads of pirated software and files.

Sorry guy. Any legit business that wants to do something with a hosting site should do a little more research and not be associated with a site that is mostly known for illegally uploaded or downloaded content.

There is no way that site did not know they had a vast amount of pirated files on the site. There is no way that site did not know that there were many people downloading illegal content on that site. And any business that wants to have important and private business documents stored on that site should have taken 10 minutes to do some research and see what that site was and come to the conclusion that they should not use it.

You know who the smartest runt of the litter is in this whole thing, because they police their site constantly and wipe CR material as they find it and its reported?

http://allindstrom.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/youtube-logo.png (http://allindstrom.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/youtube-logo.png)

If you want to be a hosting site and operate legitimately, then you CALL these guys and they will show you how.

:laugh2:

[Reality]

If you are stupid enough to use a site for legit files that is known far and wide as a site that is widely used for illegal content...you run the risk of that site being shut down.

I notice you keep saying this over and over but I think you are inserting your own knowledge as what everyone else should know. MegaUpload and a lot of other file hosting sites are used extensively for legitimate purposes by a lot of people and businesses in the world. Perhaps if you are a current or former pirate of various content then it is well known to you, but the majority of internet users do not fall into that category.

If the file hosting sites promote the pirated content or have a big "Pirates are welcome here!" sign then you could have a valid argument. Online file hosting has been both popular and common for a long time and the average internet user (which is the majority of internet users) does not have any idea which sites are to be avoided unless the site promotes itself as such or several media sources run major stories about it.

A good non-internet example would be self-storage units. How many times have you heard of self-storage units being raided because one or more people used them to store illegal content such as drugs, stolen property, etc.? Should all of the legitimate storage renters lose their own property because they should have known that a self-storage place is sometimes used by a few people for illegal purposes?

It is very naive and condescending of anyone to call people dumb or stupid for not being familiar with the illegal underworld of the internet especially when the only people who know about that area are likely people who are involved, have been involved or know people involved in such activities.

#reality

[tupperware]

I notice you keep saying this over and over but I think you are inserting your own knowledge as what everyone else should know. MegaUpload and a lot of other file hosting sites are used extensively for legitimate purposes by a lot of people and businesses in the world. Perhaps if you are a current or former pirate of various content then it is well known to you, but the majority of internet users do not fall into that category.

If the file hosting sites promote the pirated content or have a big "Pirates are welcome here!" sign then you could have a valid argument. Online file hosting has been both popular and common for a long time and the average internet user (which is the majority of internet users) does not have any idea which sites are to be avoided unless the site promotes itself as such or several media sources run major stories about it.

A good non-internet example would be self-storage units. How many times have you heard of self-storage units being raided because one or more people used them to store illegal content such as drugs, stolen property, etc.? Should all of the legitimate storage renters lose their own property because they should have known that a self-storage place is sometimes used by a few people for illegal purposes?

It is very naive and condescending of anyone to call people dumb or stupid for not being familiar with the illegal underworld of the internet especially when the only people who know about that area are likely people who are involved, have been involved or know people involved in such activities.

#reality
Interesting angle and one that makes a lot of sense. My philosophy is that I wouldn't trust any external company with mission critical files, MegaUpload included. I guess the needs of some companies and a lack of resources would demand it.

[BrAinPaiNt]

I notice you keep saying this over and over but I think you are inserting your own knowledge as what everyone else should know. MegaUpload and a lot of other file hosting sites are used extensively for legitimate purposes by a lot of people and businesses in the world. Perhaps if you are a current or former pirate of various content then it is well known to you, but the majority of internet users do not fall into that category.

If the file hosting sites promote the pirated content or have a big "Pirates are welcome here!" sign then you could have a valid argument. Online file hosting has been both popular and common for a long time and the average internet user (which is the majority of internet users) does not have any idea which sites are to be avoided unless the site promotes itself as such or several media sources run major stories about it.

A good non-internet example would be self-storage units. How many times have you heard of self-storage units being raided because one or more people used them to store illegal content such as drugs, stolen property, etc.? Should all of the legitimate storage renters lose their own property because they should have known that a self-storage place is sometimes used by a few people for illegal purposes?

It is very naive and condescending of anyone to call people dumb or stupid for not being familiar with the illegal underworld of the internet especially when the only people who know about that area are likely people who are involved, have been involved or know people involved in such activities.

#reality

I think it is very naive for a company of people to not know how to do some google checks or various checks through other services not to find out that Megaupload is not a very good site to use. I also find it very naive and condescending that the name of two companies bringing the suite have PIRATE in their names and you and others think they don't know what that site is used for.

Just saying.

[Dallas]

I notice you keep saying this over and over but I think you are inserting your own knowledge as what everyone else should know. MegaUpload and a lot of other file hosting sites are used extensively for legitimate purposes by a lot of people and businesses in the world. Perhaps if you are a current or former pirate of various content then it is well known to you, but the majority of internet users do not fall into that category.

If the file hosting sites promote the pirated content or have a big "Pirates are welcome here!" sign then you could have a valid argument. Online file hosting has been both popular and common for a long time and the average internet user (which is the majority of internet users) does not have any idea which sites are to be avoided unless the site promotes itself as such or several media sources run major stories about it.

A good non-internet example would be self-storage units. How many times have you heard of self-storage units being raided because one or more people used them to store illegal content such as drugs, stolen property, etc.? Should all of the legitimate storage renters lose their own property because they should have known that a self-storage place is sometimes used by a few people for illegal purposes?

It is very naive and condescending of anyone to call people dumb or stupid for not being familiar with the illegal underworld of the internet especially when the only people who know about that area are likely people who are involved, have been involved or know people involved in such activities.

#reality

With all do respect, I disagree. My 11 year old son knew exactly where to go to get "bad stuff Dad". So to view this situation from a 1990s angle isn't really fair. I think your normal user today who is smart enough to figure out the front end of MU, is smart enough to have read a few things about the site prior to doing so.

My staff used to think the same thing about the "typical user", but most web users doing these types of transactions on the internet really don't have a "typical user" catagory to fall into, and I would actually like to see that used as a defense by some. That would be kind of interesting, because you cannot play dumb in court, now can you?

My dog ate my homework... ;)

[Sam I Am]

With all do respect, I disagree. My 11 year old son knew exactly where to go to get "bad stuff Dad". So to view this situation from a 1990s angle isn't really fair. I think your normal user today who is smart enough to figure out the front end of MU, is smart enough to have read a few things about the site prior to doing so.

My staff used to think the same thing about the "typical user", but most web users doing these types of transactions on the internet really don't have a "typical user" catagory to fall into, and I would actually like to see that used as a defense by some. That would be kind of interesting, because you cannot play dumb in court, now can you?

My dog ate my homework... ;)

My wife uses the Internet every day and she had never heard of MegaUpload. She doesn't warez (wouldn't even know how too). She also doesn't share files with people other than posting pics to share with friends on stuff like Facebook. (which she actually no longer uses)

You can't expect everyone to know what MegaUpload is and what *some people* use it for.

[Reality]

I think it is very naive for a company of people to not know how to do some google checks or various checks through other services not to find out that Megaupload is not a very good site to use. I also find it very naive and condescending that the name of two companies bringing the suite have PIRATE in their names and you and others think they don't know what that site is used for.

Just saying.

So since Youtube hosts pirated/unauthorized content (and it hosts a TON of it), they should be raided, all of their equipment confiscated and everyone who was too stupid (your words) to not know it was used widely for illegally hosted content should lose their personal videos?

So since Flickr hosts pirated/unauthorized content (and it hosts a TON of it), they should be raided, all of their equipment confiscated and everyone who was too stupid (your words) to not know it was used widely for illegally hosted content should lose their personal photos?

Your hypocrisy and naivety is flowing strong within you .. you are making assumptions that everyone knows or should know what you know and have the same opinions as you.

#realtiy

[Dallas]

My wife uses the Internet every day and she had never heard of MegaUpload. She doesn't warez (wouldn't even know how too). She also doesn't share files with people other than posting pics to share with friends on stuff like Facebook. (which she actually no longer uses)

You can't expect everyone to know what MegaUpload is and what *some people* use it for.

I expect anyone who is file sharing to know more than your average FB user and stuff like that.

My mom would never know anything about MU because she has never shared a file in her life off the web as well, but I get your point.

Again, I am talking about those who file share. :D

To answer #reality:

You do know those sites are policed right? You are using YouTube and Flikr as an example and I know full well they police those sites. I also know full well that MU never did anything of the kind. If you make a conscientcious effort to show you are doing your JOB, then you probably won't have much of an issue w/ regard to visits from the FBI.

I support shutting a host down if they are blatantly allowing constant/consistent CR material to be hosted. Do the flippin job as an host and take care of the trash. It really isn't asking much, I don't think.

[Reality]

With all do respect, I disagree. My 11 year old son knew exactly where to go to get "bad stuff Dad". So to view this situation from a 1990s angle isn't really fair. I think your normal user today who is smart enough to figure out the front end of MU, is smart enough to have read a few things about the site prior to doing so.

My staff used to think the same thing about the "typical user", but most web users doing these types of transactions on the internet really don't have a "typical user" catagory to fall into, and I would actually like to see that used as a defense by some. That would be kind of interesting, because you cannot play dumb in court, now can you?

My dog ate my homework... ;)
Just because you have exposed your child or allowed him to be exposed to the seedy side of the internet does not mean the rest of the world has. The average (or typical as you call it) user does not know which sites are considered legitimate or not unless the media or their friends inform them. To suggest otherwise does nothing but show your real lack of knowledge in that area.

The people who pirate or have pirated content are likely to know which sites support the shady underworld of the internet. The average person has no idea unless the media or people they know tell them.

#reality

[tupperware]

Just because you have exposed your child or allowed him to be exposed to the seedy side of the internet does not mean the rest of the world has. The average (or typical as you call it) user does not know which sites are considered legitimate or not unless the media or their friends inform them. To suggest otherwise does nothing but show your real lack of knowledge in that area.

The people who pirate or have pirated content are likely to know which sites support the shady underworld of the internet. The average person has no idea unless the media or people they know tell them.

#reality
Hmm this makes me think about Comcast's bandwidth cap for some reason. According to Comcast:


250 GB/month is an extremely large amount of data, much more than a typical residential customer uses on a monthly basis. Currently, the median monthly data usage by our residential customers is approximately 2 - 3 GB.

Obviously I'm not the typical user and when I don't even try I average about 100-150GB per month. This is from multiple PCs though.

I guess I'm just piggybacking on to your point a bit. The average user is usually far different than what you might expect.

[BrAinPaiNt]

So since Youtube hosts pirated/unauthorized content (and it hosts a TON of it), they should be raided, all of their equipment confiscated and everyone who was too stupid (your words) to not know it was used widely for illegally hosted content should lose their personal videos?

So since Flickr hosts pirated/unauthorized content (and it hosts a TON of it), they should be raided, all of their equipment confiscated and everyone who was too stupid (your words) to not know it was used widely for illegally hosted content should lose their personal photos?

Your hypocrisy and naivety is flowing strong within you .. you are making assumptions that everyone knows or should know what you know and have the same opinions as you.

#realtiy

From an earlier post I made...

I am sure my stance will be misunderstood, misconstrued, multilated,(oxford comma) and taking out of context to make it seem like I am on the side of the FBI over this issue...when that is not the case.

But if you wish to keep up with the berating talk my way while complaining about naivety and hypocrisy...please do.

There is a big difference between an internet user who might just surf the net on occasion and want to post some pictures on some site vs a BUSINESS that wants to upload BUSINESS files on the internet.

One could understand a casual user doing it. One would expect a BUSINESS that has SMART employees to do a little research and protect their BUSINESS and clients information. It is not like it would take very much to do a little research here. It is not some secret site that only a handful of russian pirate lords know about. The info can be found pretty easily on the internet with some simple searches which should be quite easy to find for a person that is employed at a business that wants to protect it's files, information and it's reputation.

Geeez

[Dallas]

Just because you have exposed your child or allowed him to be exposed to the seedy side of the internet does not mean the rest of the world has. The average (or typical as you call it) user does not know which sites are considered legitimate or not unless the media or their friends inform them. To suggest otherwise does nothing but show your real lack of knowledge in that area.

The people who pirate or have pirated content are likely to know which sites support the shady underworld of the internet. The average person has no idea unless the media or people they know tell them.

#reality

And that is your opinion sir, though it appears to lack a bit of the common side of those playing the web, I digress.

This is your site and I don't want a hammer thrown at me so I will zip my pie hole before one comes. ;)

Good day...

[Reality]

I think it is very naive for a company of people to not know how to do some google checks or various checks through other services not to find out that Megaupload is not a very good site to use.
All I can say is your knowledge is severely damaged when it comes to understanding how most people including businesses use the internet.

Most businesses would not know they need to do background checks on companies because they believe the internet is already policed for them.

Most average people look at the internet like this .. they need a site to store files so they hit Google and search for something like "where can i host a large file" .. yes, they type in searches just like that. They then typically click on the first search result they see that sounds even remotely like it provides what they need. They go there, the site looks legitimate so they upload their file and give out the URL to whoever needs it.

If your AC goes out, do you find a repair shop, then hire an investigator to perform a background check on the company, call the better business bureau and check with the police and fbi to see if there are any reasons why you should not use them? Of course not. You believe that since 1) the company is in business 2) the media has not run any negative stories about them 3) no friends have told you any negative stories about them and 4) the phone company allowed them to advertise in the phone book and keep their phone line that the company must be on the level.

If they in turn rob you when they come to your house, should your neighbors then call you stupid for not doing the steps above or simply knowing it?

I also find it very naive and condescending that the name of two companies bringing the suite have PIRATE in their names and you and others think they don't know what that site is used for.
So your real problem is that you despise the only plantiffs that have been named and promoted in the media? So you would be okay with it as long as it was organizations like "Last Chance Home of Orphan Children" or "Bubba's Bar and Drunk Videos"?

Yeah .. I'm just saying as well ..

#reality

[BrAinPaiNt]

And that is your opinion sir, though it appears to lack a bit of the common side of those playing the web, I digress.

This is your site and I don't want a hammer thrown at me so I will zip my pie hole before one comes. ;)

Good day...

You Sir are a pervert...exposing your child to such seediness. :p: ;)

Of course anyone that knows of megaupload or any site similar has to be some kind of pirate themselves. I mean there is no way someone could have just heard of it from others. Nor is there any way a smart business could actually do any actual research of a company they are going to use to entrust the privacy of their own files to be hosted on.

Talk about being condescending and naive. Whoa.:laugh2:

[Reality]

From an earlier post I made...

I am sure my stance will be misunderstood, misconstrued, multilated,(oxford comma) and taking out of context to make it seem like I am on the side of the FBI over this issue...when that is not the case.

But if you wish to keep up with the berating talk my way while complaining about naivety and hypocrisy...please do.

I have no issue with people being on either side of this argument. If MegaUpload was indeed profiting from pirated content, they deserve to be taken offline and prosecuted. My issue is with call people stupid who simply did not know that MegaUpload and other similar services were used for such illegal activities.

It is like you and others ignore the fact that sites like MegaUpload purposely promote themselves as legitimate file hosting services as a way to stay off the radar of those would come after them. In doing so, sites like MegaUpload provide a lot of users who have a need for hosting remotely accessible files with a solid solution. I do not believe those users should be punished simply because a site they put trust in had a hidden side.

It is that mindset that will eventually force everyone to use Google or Facebook for every single thing you do on the internet.

#reality

[BrAinPaiNt]

All I can say is your knowledge is severely damaged when it comes to understanding how most people including businesses use the internet.

Most businesses would not know they need to do background checks on companies because they believe the internet is already policed for them.

Most average people look at the internet like this .. they need a site to store files so they hit Google and search for something like "where can i host a large file" .. yes, they type in searches just like that. They then typically click on the first search result they see that sounds even remotely like it provides what they need. They go there, the site looks legitimate so they upload their file and give out the URL to whoever needs it.

If your AC goes out, do you find a repair shop, then hire an investigator to perform a background check on the company, call the better business bureau and check with the police and fbi to see if there are any reasons why you should not use them? Of course not. You believe that since 1) the company is in business 2) the media has not run any negative stories about them 3) no friends have told you any negative stories about them and 4) the phone company allowed them to advertise in the phone book and keep their phone line that the company must be on the level.

If they in turn rob you when they come to your house, should your neighbors then call you stupid for not doing the steps above or simply knowing it?


So your real problem is that you despise the only plantiffs that have been named and promoted in the media? So you would be okay with it as long as it was organizations like "Last Chance Home of Orphan Children" or "Bubba's Bar and Drunk Videos"?

Yeah .. I'm just saying as well ..

#reality

I guess I figure businesses with SMART employees are considered SMART and do a good smart job concerning their business.

You think other wise.

The rest of your argument just seems like that you will go to any means to excuse stupidity in the workforce and for businesses.

[Reality]

You Sir are a pervert...exposing your child to such seediness. :p: ;)

Of course anyone that knows of megaupload or any site similar has to be some kind of pirate themselves. I mean there is no way someone could have just heard of it from others. Nor is there any way a smart business could actually do any actual research of a company they are going to use to entrust the privacy of their own files to be hosted on.

Talk about being condescending and naive. Whoa.:laugh2:

So this is the internet version of talking loudly enough to someone very close to you in order to make sure someone else you want to take a shot at hears you standing at a distance. Got it! You're amazing .. I'm just saying ..

#reality

[Reality]

I guess I figure businesses with SMART employees are considered SMART and do a good smart job concerning their business.

You think other wise.

The rest of your argument just seems like that you will go to any means to excuse stupidity in the workforce and for businesses.

So any business that uses Google (they own Youtube after all) is filled with dumb people? How dare a company host their company picnic photos on Flickr too .. stupid employees.

#reality

[BrAinPaiNt]

So this is the internet version of talking loudly enough to someone very close to you in order to make sure someone else you want to take a shot at hears you standing at a distance. Got it! You're amazing .. I'm just saying ..

#reality

Yeah it is kinda of like telling someone that basically they are not a good parent...like you were doing. Nice jab at him that was uncalled for and the reason he quit the conversation with you.

[BrAinPaiNt]

So any business that uses Google (they own Youtube after all) is filled with dumb people? How dare a company host their company picnic photos on Flickr too .. stupid employees.

#reality

Whatever you say big guy.

[tupperware]

http://cache.blippitt.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Popcorn-11-Eddie-Griffin.gif

[BrAinPaiNt]

http://cache.blippitt.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Popcorn-11-Eddie-Griffin.gif

:laugh2: :laugh2:

[Sam I Am]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VVVHF76LxMU/Tx8fMpXiwsI/AAAAAAAAT3U/16ykR7exNTA/s603/dogRunningFromHorse.jpg

[Reality]

Yeah it is kinda of like telling someone that basically they are not a good parent...like you were doing. Nice jab at him that was uncalled for and the reason he quit the conversation with you.

Actually I never questioned his parenting ability .. he is the one who used his 10 year old son as an example and I simply explained that a normal 10 year old would not know anything about pirate sites if he was either not exposed to it by his parents or allowed to be exposed to it through unsupervised internet usage. It was not a judgement of either of those decisions, it was simply a disqualification of his example as being that of the norm.

Of course I fully expect you to try spinning the conversation over to the "I'm being picked on" angle because it is because that is what one does when they cannot stand on the facts. Then again, that is your thing ..

#reality

[Reality]

Whatever you say big guy.

Hey look! You do know how to talk to someone directly! Good job!

#reality

[iceberg]

So any business that uses Google (they own Youtube after all) is filled with dumb people? How dare a company host their company picnic photos on Flickr too .. stupid employees.

#reality

i'd say so. google isn't a search engine in as much as forced advertising. google apps is like office 386 from like 1988 - old and not of very much use.

without getting into this too much, if i own a company, i own the site to put these on and don't go running to flicker. doesn't take much to setup something internally or host your own secure site if that's what you want.

joomla, vbulletin, ipb, wordpress, dot net nuke - simple to setup and what, $3.95 a month? hell you can host your company e-mail there and be in the cloud and cool! : )

it honestly doesn't take a whole lot of intelligence to set any of this up. that or i vastly underrate my own skills cause i've set them all up just fine.

modx messes with me but i'll play more later.

maybe i've been in the corporate world too long but i could/would NEVER trust internal information on a "public server". maybe it's just company picnic pics, or maybe it's customer information. regardless of what you do, you are responsible for this and have to protect your IP and customer info. also, if i placed the company pics up on a public site, i've got my own core set still. i don't copy 'em up and delete the originals unless i just don't care about it.

if said company thinks the internet is policed for them, they really don't belong on the internet anyway. :)

[Hoofbite]

Why is the entire argument centered around the business aspect.

What if it's just regular peeps who had stuff lost?

I think MU getting shut down raises another issue.

How far will this precedent extend?

[Sam I Am]

Sam is chuckling big time right now... :laugh2:

[iceberg]

Why is the entire argument centered around the business aspect.

What if it's just regular peeps who had stuff lost?

I think MU getting shut down raises another issue.

How far will this precedent extend?

good point - it got sidetracked.

the government was flat out wrong to just shut it down. i would think they should have to reopen it but limit access like fileserv and others are doing - you can only access your own files.

then figure out "sharing" from there.

[Sam I Am]

Why is the entire argument centered around the business aspect.

What if it's just regular peeps who had stuff lost?

I think MU getting shut down raises another issue.

How far will this precedent extend?

Probably because businesses generally would have the most to lose in this case. Though, anyone posting their data on a site like this without having another copy would be absolutely ignorant.

Posting private data unencrypted on a site like this would be absolutely ignorant as well.

[iceberg]

Probably because businesses generally would have the most to lose in this case. Though, anyone posting their data on a site like this without having another copy would be absolutely ignorant.

Posting private data unencrypted on a site like this would be absolutely ignorant as well.

both of the points i was making above for individual or business.

[Sam I Am]

good point - it got sidetracked.

the government was flat out wrong to just shut it down. i would think they should have to reopen it but limit access like fileserv and others are doing - you can only access your own files.

then figure out "sharing" from there.

The government can shutdown a company like this, (if they can prove they themselves are intentionally contributing to criminal activity. If they do, they still must return all data to it's proper owners customers. The CANNOT search that data until they have a warrant for that specific customers data.

[BrAinPaiNt]

Actually I never questioned his parenting ability .. he is the one who used his 10 year old son as an example and I simply explained that a normal 10 year old would not know anything about pirate sites if he was either not exposed to it by his parents or allowed to be exposed to it through unsupervised internet usage. It was not a judgement of either of those decisions, it was simply a disqualification of his example as being that of the norm.

Of course I fully expect you to try spinning the conversation over to the "I'm being picked on" angle because it is because that is what one does when they cannot stand on the facts. Then again, that is your thing ..

#reality

:laugh2: Look at the spin job you are doing here now. Did it ever occur to you why he decided to quit talking to you in that conversation? So whether it was your intent or not, it came accross that way and not just by me. Hmmm...maybe just maybe...you were wrong.

I am not claiming to be picked on. I think what you said was completely uncalled for and a personal jab on the guy no matter how you try to spin it.

[BrAinPaiNt]

Hey look! You do know how to talk to someone directly! Good job!

#reality

Thanks big guy...does it make you feel all warm and happy.

[BrAinPaiNt]

Why is the entire argument centered around the business aspect.

What if it's just regular peeps who had stuff lost?

I think MU getting shut down raises another issue.

How far will this precedent extend?

Probably because that was the main issue I was talking about and as I predicted some people came in and did not understand my point.

[BrAinPaiNt]

Probably because businesses generally would have the most to lose in this case. Though, anyone posting their data on a site like this without having another copy would be absolutely ignorant.

Posting private data unencrypted on a site like this would be absolutely ignorant as well.

Which is what I was getting at all along.

I don't approve of the government doing it.

However I think anyone that stored there stuff on that site were stupid for storing their stuff on there.

[Sam I Am]

However I think anyone that stored there stuff on that site were stupid for storing their stuff on there.

Why? It was an easy place to store your waresz. :laugh2:

[BrAinPaiNt]

Why? It was an easy place to store your waresz. :laugh2:

I save all of mine on CDs and DVDs...I am lord of the Warez.:laugh2:

[tupperware]

US prosecutors have said that data belonging to Megaupload users and stored by third parties could be deleted as soon as Thursday.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16787486

Now, BP and Reality. Round 2, FIGHT!