Megaupload User Data Could Be Destroyed Soon 260
New submitter advid.net writes "According to the Associated Press, user data from the recently-closed file-hosting site Megaupload could be destroyed as soon as Thursday. Apparently Megaupload paid another company to actually store the data. 'But Megaupload attorney Ira Rothken said Sunday that the government has frozen its money. A letter filed in the case Friday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said storage companies Carpathia Hosting Inc. and Cogent Communications Group Inc. may begin deleting data Thursday. ... The letter said the government copied some data from the servers but did not physically take them. It said that now that it has executed its search warrants, it has no right to access the data. The servers are controlled by Carpathia and Cogent and issues about the future of the data must be resolved with them, prosecutors said."
There's also been talk of a lawsuit against the FBI over users' lost files.
Re:Suing the FBI? (Score:5, Informative)
They froze the assets of a company that hasn't been found guilty of anything yet? Why are they allowed to do that? There is certainly a possibility that MegaUpload will be found not guilty and then who's going to refund the costs, recover the data and refund the lost user fees??
Re:Suing the FBI? (Score:5, Informative)
They froze the assets of a company that hasn't been found guilty of anything yet? Why are they allowed to do that?
That's RICO [wikipedia.org] for ya, baby.
Re:Nuke 'em from orbit. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Can they simply delete it? (Score:5, Informative)
No. See the indictment [scribd.com]. Very interesting document. The real evidence against these guys is not on Megaupload at all. It is in the emails they sent to each other and to outsiders.
The Feds' case hangs on the allegation that these guys formed a criminal conspiracy, i.e. that they knew that they were breaking laws and that they conspired to hide this because of the vast profitability of their operation. The evidence is all email records, bank statements, and Kim Dotcom's fleet of luxury cars.
Re:Can they simply delete it? (Score:5, Informative)
Nothing to be done except, of course, for calling representatives and writing letters until a suitable about of attention is garnered to show that them opposition to a law is greater than what the RIAA/MPAA claims its support is.