Some students may know of the SOPA bill trying to be passed in Congress. Many do not know, however, the repercussions of it and a small taste of what could come was felt.
As of January 19, 2012, Megaupload, a website for downloading files, was shut down by the United States Federal Government. The site was indicted for piracy due to complaints from the RIAA, MPAA, and other media groups. Megaupload was accused for over $500 million dollars in copyright damages. The justice Department says that this is the one of the largest copyright cases ever. However, the internet, literally, attacked.
The hacker group known as Anonymous were quick to respond and attacked several sites, shutting down many of them. Anonops and Anonymous, on twitter, posted, “Tango Down,” whenever their target site was shut down. They also posted, “Get some popcorn… it’s going to be a long lulzy night.”
Some of the sites that were attacked were; The Department of Justice, MPAA, Universal music, RIAA, FBI, HADOPI law site, U.S. Copyright Office, Universal Music France, Senator Chris Dodd, Vivendi France, The White House, BMI, and WMG. They even successfully shut down the FBI’s main site in various parts of the world, a rather impressive feat. The MPAA was shut down temporarily but was able to recover after the attacks. The sites that were attacked had some involvement in the recent SOPA legislation or the removal of Megaupload.
Megaupload’s owners’ futures are not very bright looking, either. Four of the seven operators were arrested and could face up to 55 years in jail if convicted. The real danger they faced is the $175 million dollars of illegal profit they gained while in charge of Megaupload. These profits come from the ad revenue on their site and is illegal because they gained it from illegally hosting pirated content.