Fagaupload. Don't use it.

Read the parts in bold if you're lazy.

Fagaupload is slow, handles data poorly, and keeps logs of every IP that downloads or uses the site. Not mention that they've fully co-operated with the law on several occasions involving pirated software, hentai and scanlations. They also reserve the right to go above and beyond their own privacy policy. And no, they don't even have to put that on the site, it's a right they have as a company.




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Megaupload is among one the most unsafe hosting providers to download from, even if it does max your connection, even if it does give you high download speeds. You may think the risks are the same, but they're not, you're much more likely to get screwed over from downloading off of Megaupload than you would say, Mediafire.

If I remember, not too long ago, a young girl (about 13/14), was sued for having 2000 illegal songs on her iPod, for around $230,000. So if you think they "have other things to worry about", you're wrong.

It's not just the U.S. Government you have to worry about, it's a combination of licensing companies, production companies, Megaupload and the U.S.(Or Canadian/Japanese) government you have to worry about. I don't suggest using any upload/download service provided by a major corporation, unless you're using a private VPN or, at the least, masking your IP address.

If you download the majority of your anime, manga, doujinshi and whatnot off of Megaupload, you're put on a hotlist. Which is basically a list of users and IP addresses that are known for downloading a large amount of illegal or licensed goods, I know this because I used to work for RapidShare. And from what I've heard and understand, it's like this for every file hosting provider.

Even if you're a leecher, I would still use torrents, you can set the upload rate to 0, and still have your download speed maxed out. Especially since there is going to be a massive crackdown over the next 10 years of illegal goods on the internet, we're just in the beginnings of it.

It wasn't a random stab, she was handpicked and used as a warning to the general population. Like I said, these will only continue to increase in frequency, it's inevitable that the internet will eventually be commercialized, such is the way of humanity. And I sure as hell don't want to have a log of everything I've downloaded when shit hits the fan.

TOR? Are you serious? Sure it will protect you from getting sued, but did you take into account how easy it is to get hacked on that network? Honestly, it's not that hard to find a free VPN service (UltraVPN anyone?). And as for the alternative to Megaupload, you could use Filedropper. If you had just used Google, or even Yahoo, you would've found a lot more where this came from, and in only a few seconds too! A File Manager? I'm at a loss for words.

Why provide a solution? What happened to working out a problem for yourself? I suppose that's just too much to ask for, especially when he was just trying to give you a tip or two on how to be more secure during your travels on the internet.

Pardon my wording, I meant Rapidshare, not Megaupload.
Oh how I enjoy responses with just a few lines of text, it gives me a lot to work with.

I wouldn't be too surprised if it's a common tactic used in other companies, especially in the U.S. where they are oh so known for protecting privacy. Whether or not you choose to believe me is completely up to you. And I won't think any less of you for it.

Filedropper has gotten faster since it originated as a small, unrecognized filehoster. If I remember correctly, Megaupload also used to be incredibly slow when they didn't have the amount of servers they needed to provide their users with fast download and upload speeds.

I weighed the positives and negatives a long time ago, being someone who has experience in the hosting world. And to be honest unless you're protecting yourself properly, it's very easy for a company to push legalities aside when you upload or download something illegal, and go straight for your throat, so to speak.

You can weigh the facts yourself, but without a real understanding of the system, law, and security, how will you come to a conclusion you trust? For your own peace of mind, do a couple days of research and see what answers you come up with, you'll also learn a lot more on the side. Then again, maybe I just have more to protect than most people, so it's harder for me to see your side. I used to think that the risks weren't so high, that the chances were one in a million, until I finished University, and had a few discussions with my Professor. In the computer world, ignorance is not bliss, it's your worst enemy.

I would go into more detail, but unless you've done some research first, program or know how a filehosting company works from the inside, it would be pointless to explain further. I definitely welcome a conversation or argument with someone through PMs or IRC however.

What I meant by the hotlist is that your downloads are being tracked once your on it, it doesn't have anything to do with the government performing a crackdown operation. It's just a security precaution Rapidshare takes in case said user turns out to be a large-scale supplier of pirated goods. They do this to make it clear to the Governments that they do not, in any way, support the sale or redistribution of illegally gained data. Rapidshare started doing this just a couple of years ago by request of the German Government in order to, as you said, scare their people into thinking that the risks are much higher than they really are. I have seen a few cases where the data has been requested by Germany to catch a few suspected criminals in the area.



Most users don't have to worry, but I'm speaking more to the people who do have to worry. I'm just pointing out some facts that users usually don't know about, or that some may find concerning.



Comcast and AT&T don't own the internet, but I may be taking this into the wrong context. That is just more my opinion than anything. I find it incredibly possible that, as a natural progression of human Ideology, the internet will eventually be either commercialized or monitored by a significant power. I'm talking a few hundred years into the future here. But there will always be little sects and areas that are free from that corruption, such is also the way of humanity.