Megaupload Users Plan To Sue... As Their Files & Data Are About To Be Destroyed

by Mike Masnick

Soon after Megaupload was shut down, we heard from some lawyers for (legitimate) users of the service who were exploring whether or not they could sue the US government for taking away their access to the data. There was some uncertainty as to whether or not there was a real legal claim here, but now it appears that at least some of the users are, in fact, planning to sue the US government. Perhaps even more troubling, however, is the fact that all of the Megaupload data may be destroyed, potentially by the end of the week, because the data center that was hosting Megaupload's servers isn't getting paid any more. TorrentFreak has the news:

“We received a letter very late Friday from the US Attorney that declared there could be an imminent destruction of Megaupload consumer data files on this coming Thursday,” MegaUpload lawyer Ira Rothken told TorrentFreak.

Rothken explains that MegaUpload is determined to protect the interests of its users, but that its hands are tied without help from the authorities. The looming data loss is linked to unpaid bills at Cogent Communications and Carpathia Hosting where MegaUpload leased some of its servers.

I have to admit that I'm a little confused by this. I would assume that that data is evidence -- and, in fact, I'm a bit surprised that it wasn't seized directly as well. Either way, it seems like, as some of the evidence in the case, the Justice Department would forbid its destruction, but here it appears to be supporting of it. Even if you believe that Megaupload is pure evil, and had every intention to destroy the entertainment industry... can't people at least agree that it is then wrong to simply destroy the content of legitimate users, without (at least) giving them a chance to retrieve their data?

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