FBI Agents Shut-Down MegaUploads sites
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 10:14 pm
Today, US FBI Agents swarmed into 9 foreign nations as well as here in USA to seize 50 Million dollars worth of servers, IT equipment as well as 18 domestic and offshore domains under the guise of America's file sharing copyright infringement laws. Defendants are now facing 50 years in some US Prison each.
It appears that although many of the purported file sharing servers were overseas (not physically located in USA), there was at least one server of the MegaUpload.com network that was located in Virginia (big mistake). That apparently opened the door for FBI agents to extort 8 foreign nations to comply with US arrest warrants, seizure of 50 million dollars worth of equipment and the seizure of 18 domains. Presumably, the goose stepping FBI agents arrested and (kidnapped) placed those foreigners into custody although it is unlikely the nations where those servers were physically located as well as the existing laws in those nations would even support such expanded global USA policing actions much less expect foreign citizens to be fully conversant with 100's of USA laws including those which a lot of American citizens didn't even know existed.
US Gov. using taxpayer funding to go on a global crusade on behalf of sometimes dubious or hidden file-sharing US laws and forcing them via extortion and threats down the throats of overseas nations leaders onto their citizens is IMO going to backfire badly on America and the American people.
References:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2399105,00.asp
Also named in the indictment were graphic designer Julius Bencko, head of business development Sven Echternach, and programmer Andrus Nomm.
More than 20 search warrants were executed in the U.S. and nine other countries today. About $50 million worth of assets and targeted sites where Megaupload has servers as well as 18 domain names were also seized. Megaupload.com is currently offline.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/techn ... iracy.html
"The federal authorities on Thursday announced they had shut down the Web site Megaupload and charged seven people connected to it, including its founder, with running an international criminal enterprise centred on copyright infringement on the Internet."
"The indictment in the Megaupload case was handed down by a grand jury in Virginia two weeks ago, but was unsealed on Thursday, and stems from a federal investigation that began two years ago."
--Note: Having one of the Megaupload Servers physically in Virginia,was used by the goose stepping US Dept. of Justice as a boot in the door to force this wide sweeping case of indictments onto 9 foreign nations,seizing 50 million worth of IT equipment, 18 domains and multiple US and foreign citizens.---
"As part of the crackdown on Megaupload, 20 search warrants were executed in nine countries, including the United States. About $50 million in assets were also seized, as well as a number of servers and 18 domain names, the authorities said."
Megaupload.om Gets Hit by Mega Piracy Indictment
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/justic ... xifXJQQ4bV
"The feds indicted the site's founder, Kim Dotcom, aka Kim Schmitz, a 37-year-old resident of Hong Kong and New Zealand. He was arrested in New Zealand by New Zealand authorities."
"Also indicted were employees Bram van der Kolk, aka Bramos, 29, Julius Bencko, Finn Batato, Sven Echternach, Mathias Ortmann, and Andrus Nomm. New Zealand authorities arrested Batato, Ortmann and van der Kolk. Bencko, Echternach and Nomm remain at large, officials said.
The indictment accuses the suspects of being members of "the Mega Conspiracy, a worldwide criminal organization whose members engaged in criminal copyright infringement and money laundering on a massive scale."
In Closing:
Does Hong Kong, China or Sweden uphold much less support such heavy handed actions by the US FBI? I seriously doubt they do and yet it is apparent the US State Dept. has in the least coerced a great many nations or nations leaders to go along with these jack booted actions fully placing the burden of US laws, corrupt legal system and often obscure US laws squarely onto the backs of Internet users around the world. Remember one of those indicted and now facing 50 years in some US Federal Prison was simply a website graphics designer.
An hour after the indictment was announced, the Justice Department's website, http://www.Justice.gov, came under cyberattack with a denial-of-service attack. Anonymous, the hacktivist computer group, is claiming responsibility.
It appears that although many of the purported file sharing servers were overseas (not physically located in USA), there was at least one server of the MegaUpload.com network that was located in Virginia (big mistake). That apparently opened the door for FBI agents to extort 8 foreign nations to comply with US arrest warrants, seizure of 50 million dollars worth of equipment and the seizure of 18 domains. Presumably, the goose stepping FBI agents arrested and (kidnapped) placed those foreigners into custody although it is unlikely the nations where those servers were physically located as well as the existing laws in those nations would even support such expanded global USA policing actions much less expect foreign citizens to be fully conversant with 100's of USA laws including those which a lot of American citizens didn't even know existed.
US Gov. using taxpayer funding to go on a global crusade on behalf of sometimes dubious or hidden file-sharing US laws and forcing them via extortion and threats down the throats of overseas nations leaders onto their citizens is IMO going to backfire badly on America and the American people.
References:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2399105,00.asp
Also named in the indictment were graphic designer Julius Bencko, head of business development Sven Echternach, and programmer Andrus Nomm.
More than 20 search warrants were executed in the U.S. and nine other countries today. About $50 million worth of assets and targeted sites where Megaupload has servers as well as 18 domain names were also seized. Megaupload.com is currently offline.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/techn ... iracy.html
"The federal authorities on Thursday announced they had shut down the Web site Megaupload and charged seven people connected to it, including its founder, with running an international criminal enterprise centred on copyright infringement on the Internet."
"The indictment in the Megaupload case was handed down by a grand jury in Virginia two weeks ago, but was unsealed on Thursday, and stems from a federal investigation that began two years ago."
--Note: Having one of the Megaupload Servers physically in Virginia,was used by the goose stepping US Dept. of Justice as a boot in the door to force this wide sweeping case of indictments onto 9 foreign nations,seizing 50 million worth of IT equipment, 18 domains and multiple US and foreign citizens.---
"As part of the crackdown on Megaupload, 20 search warrants were executed in nine countries, including the United States. About $50 million in assets were also seized, as well as a number of servers and 18 domain names, the authorities said."
Megaupload.om Gets Hit by Mega Piracy Indictment
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/justic ... xifXJQQ4bV
"The feds indicted the site's founder, Kim Dotcom, aka Kim Schmitz, a 37-year-old resident of Hong Kong and New Zealand. He was arrested in New Zealand by New Zealand authorities."
"Also indicted were employees Bram van der Kolk, aka Bramos, 29, Julius Bencko, Finn Batato, Sven Echternach, Mathias Ortmann, and Andrus Nomm. New Zealand authorities arrested Batato, Ortmann and van der Kolk. Bencko, Echternach and Nomm remain at large, officials said.
The indictment accuses the suspects of being members of "the Mega Conspiracy, a worldwide criminal organization whose members engaged in criminal copyright infringement and money laundering on a massive scale."
In Closing:
Does Hong Kong, China or Sweden uphold much less support such heavy handed actions by the US FBI? I seriously doubt they do and yet it is apparent the US State Dept. has in the least coerced a great many nations or nations leaders to go along with these jack booted actions fully placing the burden of US laws, corrupt legal system and often obscure US laws squarely onto the backs of Internet users around the world. Remember one of those indicted and now facing 50 years in some US Federal Prison was simply a website graphics designer.
An hour after the indictment was announced, the Justice Department's website, http://www.Justice.gov, came under cyberattack with a denial-of-service attack. Anonymous, the hacktivist computer group, is claiming responsibility.