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FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust

By | January 22, 2012, 3:51pm PST

Summary: Only days after the Megaupload website was taken offline by U.S. authorities, similar businesses are scrambling to protect themselves before any action is taken against them.

File-sharing site FileSonic has announced that it is has disabled “all sharing functionality”, and that its service can “only be used to upload and retrieve files you have uploaded personally”.

The company’s Facebook page has also disappeared. According to users on Reddit, it is believed that many accounts and files were deleted today.

It is thought that this measure has been put in place in response to the wider crackdown on file-sharing sites by U.S. authorities.

U.S. and New Zealand authorities shut down one of the Web’s most popular online properties, Megaupload, last week. Its founders and three other employees were arrested and detained. They are awaiting extradition to the United States to face copyright infringement and money laundering charges.

Within a few hours of the news breaking, hacktivist collective Anonymous retaliated by attacking the websites of the RIAA, the MPAA, the FBI, and the U.S. Justice Department by way of denial-of-service attacks.

Late last week, Uploaded.to blocked all U.S. visitors from accessing its site as part of efforts to distance itself from U.S. jurisdiction.

Another popular file-sharing service, RapidShare, said in an interview with Ars Technica that it was “not concerned”, adding that, “file hosting itself is a legitimate business”. The file-sharing giant is based in Switzerland, and is “set up in a much more transparent way”.

RapidShare and FileSonic comply with DMCA requests, and both have dedicated staff to remove illegally uploaded content.

FileSonic did not respond to comments at the time of publication.

Image source: FileSonic.

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Topics

File-sharing, Peer To Peer (P2P), Data Sharing, Internet, Zack Whittaker

Zack Whittaker, a criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, Canterbury, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

Disclosure

Zack Whittaker

I worked briefly with Microsoft UK in 2006 but no longer have any connection with the company. Regardless, I remain impartial and unbiased in my views.

I don't hold any stock or shares, investments or industrial secrets in any company, but have signed confidentiality agreements with a number of UK and U.S. organisations, whose names I am not at liberty to disclose.

I was involved with Kent Union, the University of Kent's student union, undertaking voluntary, non-salaried, elected positions between early 2009 and mid-2010.

No other company, body, government department, non-governmental organisation or third sector organisation employs me or pays me a salary in any capacity whatsoever.

As a freelance journalist, whenever expenses are given and taken by a company that is not CBS Interactive, these will be disclosed in each relevant post to ensure transparency.

I currently work with a UK law enforcement unit, but this is an entirely separate position which bears no connection to other work.

(Updated: 23rd October 2011)

Biography

Zack Whittaker

Zack Whittaker, criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, UK, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

After studying criminology at university, though still in his early-20's, he has already had a series unconventional work and voluntary positions. He has worked with researchers studying neurological illnesses like Tourette's syndrome (which he suffers from), has given lectures on the nature of disabilities in the public community, and occasionally ends up speaking on television and radio discussing the events of the day.

He first had academic work published at the age of 22, then still an undergraduate, and has been cited by a wide range of publications: from CNN, the Huffington Post, AllThingsDigital, The Atlantic Wire and CBS News.

Talkback Most Recent of 14 Talkback(s)

  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    A lot of uploaders are scrambling right now to upload their stuff to other lockers. Still lots of lockers operating in eastern Europe.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    sm5w2@...
    22nd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    MegaUpload
    Closed.

    FileServe
    Deleting multiple files. Closed affiliate program.

    FileJungle
    (Owned by FileServe) Deleting multiple files. Testing out blocking some USA IP addresses.

    UploadStation
    (Owned by FileServe) Deleting multiple files. Testing out blocking some USA IP addresses.

    FileSonic
    Sharing disabled. Closed affiliate program. Deleting files and accounts.

    VideoBB
    Closed affiliate program.

    Uploaded.to
    Banned USA IP addresses.

    FilePost
    Started suspending accounts with infringing material (doing what Hotfile did)

    VideoZer
    Closed affiliate program.

    4shared
    Deleting multiple files.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    wendellgee@...
    22nd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    R.I.P. free Internet. sad
    ZDNet Gravatar
    d4rkn1ght
    22nd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    Thanks to Obama, more change to believe in. Remember in Nov 2012.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    t.glaze@...
    22nd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    @t.glaze@... Huh??? I believe, if you actually check the FACTS, Obama stated he would not sign either the SOPA or PIPA acts into law.

    Actually - isn't this is the way it's supposed to work? A file-sharing site is supposed to police their own users and remove copyrighted material without the need to sue them for infringement. If they don't do it, then someone else will do it for them.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    DT2
    23rd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    @DT2 - Are you serious? Obama also stated that he would not sign the military budget bill while it had undefined terms. You know, the ones allowing governmental agencies to arrest private citizens on baseless accusations, then hold them indefinitely without trial or evidence. Those terms remained undefined, and he signed it. Are you seriously still believing him? He also stated that he formed Seal Team 6, for crying out loud!

    I'm with t.glaze. Remember, remember on the twelfth of November the treason this boil has wrought.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    retsoldja
    23rd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    I'd be glad to leave the US. I'm supporting Anonymous in this even though I don't condemn piracy. *sigh* sad
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Grayson Peddie
    23rd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    Misleading title to the article.

    Filesonic did not shutter their site. All they did was to start enforcing their own policy of disallowing sharing of copyrighted material. To shutter means to take the site off line.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    DT2
    23rd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    @DT2 - From the standpoint of those individuals who have payed through the nose for a service that can move files LEGITIMATELY from one user to another, it is shuttered. End of story.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    retsoldja
    23rd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    I use filesharing for arguably illegitimate reasons, but until the industry sets up a simple method for downloading programmes and films that A) I have missed on my terrestrial or subscription TV and so paid for already, B) Already bought but have on VHS, C) could borrow from friends or family (or lend out) which isn't illegal, or D) simply won't be able to watch, then everyone will continue to download illegitimately.

    New restrictive technology means that recording from the television is no longer a viable option, so unless you have a massive storage solution on Sky Plus(TM), which I'm not sure exists, the limited amount that can be stored for viewing at one's leisure doesn't fulfil the demand. And when they inevitably go pear shaped and Sky zap your box with a software upgrade all of the recordings are lost because there's no backup solution.

    The money lost from filesharing is a vastly over-egged pudding for the reasons above. The industry needs to catch up, the same as the music industry has with iTunes for example. Not many people object to paying a few bob for a music download, and I certainly wouldn't mind paying for Breaking Bad for example - I WANT to pay for Breaking Bad, but as I'm from England, I can't. It's totally unavailable on TV, DVD, or any legitimate media. The industry needs to up its game rather than close down the sites that are undermining it.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    spozza
    23rd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    @spozza - Exactly. Excellent points, spozza.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    retsoldja
    23rd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    @spozza: You've made excellent points in what you stated earlier! ^^
    I agree that it would significantly help if the industry came up with a legitimate, simple method for downloading a copy of a movie or tv show that you paid for previously
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Boushe9849
    30th Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    this sucks but filesonic really did have a GRIP of infringing content on it...regardless I personally hated both filesonic, megaupload, AND most of all hotfile...I used to have alot of my stuff on FS, but then their service went down to crap???then switched to hotfile, who's servers crashed & lost ALL my files???then megaupload which omg i can???t believe what happened.

    now I have all my files on:
    http://www.peeje.com/upload

    ???decent sized allowance, and it gives my users direct-links???which they love....so far, it???s been better than sonic, MU and HF COMBINED!!!
    ZDNet Gravatar
    BobHart111
    23rd Jan
  • RE: FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust
    File sharing is something that won't be stopped once it started, media distribution will never again be the same, when will they learn?
    You do buy or rent if it seems appropriate. If it's hard, over-cost or unavailable to do, you log in, watch it online or grab it from someone who's sharing it.
    This is just the "1+1=2" in digital media, and no, it won't walk backwards.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    paulomunir
    24th Jan

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