Kim Dotcom (Kim Schmitz), the founder of the shuttered file-sharing site that housed everything from family photos to blockbuster films, on Thursday announced via Twitter a new online storage service called Mega that will give users direct control, and responsibility over their files.
Mega will launch in January 2013 which marks the anniversary of Kim’s arrest. Kim is currently awaiting a decision on his extradition from New Zealand to the US, he is scheduled to face charges of online piracy, copyright theft, fraud and money laundering he could serve to up 20 years.
The new service will use encryption methods which mean only users will know what is uploaded. Users of the new cloud-based service will be able to upload, store and share photos, text files, music and films, encrypt those files and grant access using unique decryption keys.
By using encryption keeping the details of files uploaded on Mega secret from the site’s administrators will allow him to run the site without violating any US laws. Ensuring that files are not pirated will be the job of content owners, a major change from Megaupload, which the U.S. film industry says was directly responsible for taking down illegally uploaded content.
Kim has been quoted as saying
“The new Mega will not be threatened by US prosecutors. The new Mega avoids any dealings with US hosters, US domains and US backbone providers and has changed the way it operates to avoid another takedown.”
The site is currently seeking investment. Mega has raised sufficient funds to cover the launch, but they would like to provide Mega free of charge for as long as possible so they are looking for investors and donors.