It's been two months since the United States Department of Justice seized and shut down file-hosting site Megaupload.com. However, those using the site to store personal files are still unable to access their data, and there's talk that they may never get it back. MegaUpload is trying hard to avoid that situation but in the mean time, the case against MegaUpload continues.
The latest news is word that the MPAA actually wants to keep some of the data stored on MegaUpload's servers. According to Wired, a newly filed court document reveals that the MPAA is requesting that MegaUpload host Carpathia retain the 25 Petabytes of MegaUpload data it has on its servers. This includes account information for MegaUpload's 66 million users. The MPAA says it wants the information because it might decide it wants to sue the file-sharing site and others for copyright infringement. However, the Motion Picture Association of America says it doesn't intend to use the info to sue individual users.
MegaUpload also wants the data retained, but for different reasons. It wants to use the data as part of its defense and is apparently asking the government to free up some of its assets so it can pay Carpathia to hold on to the data for the time being. Additionally, the file-sharing site wants to give users access to files they have stored on MegaUpload's servers.
As for the host? Carpathia is currently spending almost $9,000 a day to keep the data and has petitioned the the courts to relieve it of this burden. Whatever happens, it's possible that if the data is preserved for further lawsuits, people will not be able to access their accounts to retrieve their files due to the fact that the data is part of legal proceedings. A hearing on this issue is expected next month, so we'll know more about the fate of user data at that point.
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