Those who thought that the prevention of SOPA and PIPA meant the end of the wars of online piracy were surely mistaken. In the time that has passed since federal authorities shut down MegaUpload and Kim Dotcom was arrested, other file sharing websites have started pulling back.
The shutting of MegaUpload has sent a shiver down the spine of the file sharing community. Two other major sites, FileSonic and Upload.to, are retreating from the battlefront. If you head over to the FileSonic website, you’ll be greeted with red exclamation point and caption reading, “All sharing functionality of FileSonic is now disabled. Our service can only be used to upload and retrieve files that you have uploaded personally.” American’s headed over to Uploaded.to’s website will be met with a similarly debilitating message reading, “Our service is currently unavailable in your country. Sorry about that.”
The fight against piracy is being fought on American terrain, yet one of the strengths of the internet the global community it allows us to form. The simple truth is that America’s piracy laws are spooking out other countries. With websites such as FileSonic and Upload.to, it is unclear whether they are bowing out from the file sharing game permanently, or whether they are simply waiting for the stormy waters to calm.
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