Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, aka Kim Schmitz, appears in a New Zealand court
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — After federal officials brought down the file-sharing website Megaupload and charged several individuals allegedly responsible for online piracy generating more than $175 million, Anonymous attacked several entertainment and government websites on Thursday.
According to a report by the Washington Post, Anonymous used DDoS attacks to crash the Justice Department and Universal Music website, as well as the main page of the FBI website.
The Universal Music website was still down as of Friday morning, as was the Broadcast Music Inc. site. Anonymous also allegedly took down the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America, as well as the US Copyright office, all of which appear to be fully functional on Friday.
Anonymous posted personal details including home address and birth dates relating to the family of Chris Dodd, chairman and CEO of the MPAA. Dodd was vocal about his disapproval of the Jan. 18 anti-SOPA blackout, and said that sites participating in the blackout were punishing their users and turning them into corporate pawns “rather than coming to the table to find solutions to a problem that all now seem to agree is very real and damaging.”
Some see these attacks as taking a step back from the political progress this week as the Internet community came together to protest the SOPA and PIPA bills, influencing at least 18 senators to withdraw support of PIPA.
“I do know that an attack this big on this many government sites will effectively erase those good Internet vibrations that were rattling around Capitol Hill this week and harden the perspective of legislators and law enforcement who want to believe that the Web community is made up of wild, law-breaking pirates. That, ultimately, may help strengthen the business–and the emotional–case for the pro-SOPA, pro-PIPA lobby,” Molly Wood, executive editor at CNET writes in a report.
The Department of Justice says the Megaupload seizure is among one of the largest criminal copyright cases in the US, causing more than $500 billion dollars in harm to copyright owners. Seven individuals and two corporations are charged with engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to commit copyright infringement, and conspiring to commit money laundering.
With one billion site visits and more than 150 million registered users, Megaupload.com accounted for four percent of the total traffic on the Internet, according to a statement.
The FBI seized 18 domains associated with Megaupload.com, and approximately $50 million in assets.
About Nicole Henderson
Nicole Henderson writes full-time for the Web Host Industry Review where she covers daily news and features online, as well as in print. She has a bachelor of journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto, and has been writing for the WHIR since September 2010. You can find her on Twitter @NicoleHenderson.
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