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30 Jan 2012 02:23

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Tech: Megaupload data could get deleted as soon as next week

  • 3 days until your family photos get deleted source
  • » But only if you used Megaupload to store them. Megaupload wasn’t just a place to share pirated movies; it also served as webspace for people to store their personal documents, pictures, hard drive backups, and the like. But Megaupload didn’t actually own the servers on which its data was stored–they outsourced that two other companies. Now that Megaupload’s been shut down, its assets have been frozen, and so it can’t keep paying the storage centers their fee. So, according to a letter from the US Attorney’s Office, the two data centers could start deleting the data as soon as this Thursday. That would be a shame for many, many people (although it should have been clear from the outset that Megaupload wasn’t the wisest place to back up one’s data). An attorney for Megaupload says he’s “cautiously optimistic” that they’ll be able to keep the data from being erased.

21 Jan 2012 15:35

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Tech: MegaUpload founder’s arrest: Electronic locking devices + sawed-off shotguns

  • Despite our staff clearly identifying themselves, Mr Dotcom retreated into the house and activated a number of electronic-locking mechanisms. … Once they gained entry into [Dotcom’s safe room], they found Mr Dotcom near a firearm which had the appearance of a shortened shotgun. It was definitely not as simple as knocking at the front door.
  • Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand Detective Inspector Grant Wormald • Describing the insane chain of events that led to the arrest of Kim Dotcom (also known as Kim Schmitz), the founder of MegaUpload, on Friday. Among the things removed from the house included two cars, one of which is a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe — which has a retail price of $443,000. No matter how you feel about MegaUpload, Kim Dotcom certainly carries himself like a criminal mastermind, or more correctly, a James Bond villain. source