How things stand as of this morning...

• Fileserve – Stopped filesharing. You can only download your own files. Deleting multiple files. Banning Premium accounts. Closed Affiliate Program. Changed server location Jan 22, 2012. Taken down it's Facebook page Now using Digital fingerprinting. Files are being deleted as soon as uploaded (as Hotfile did).
• VideoBB – Closed Affiliate Program.
• Filepost – Started suspending accounts with infringing material (as Hotfile did)
• Uploaded.to – Blocked U.S. access.
• Videozer – Closed Affiliate Program.
• Filejungle – Owned by Fileserve (same as above). Testing USA IP addresses blocking.
• Uploadstation – Owned by Fileserve (same as above). Testing USA IP addresses blocking.
• 4Shared – Deleting multiple files
• EnterUpload - Down (Redirect)

It's even possible that anonymous is launching a file sharing site, but who knows if this is real, or if it will pan out.

Anonymous went on a big cyber attack spree last week, shutting down a number of major government and entertainment trade group web sites in retaliation over the US government's shut down of the Megaupload file sharing web site. Now it appears that Anonymous, or at least a sub-section of the hacker group, wants to launch a file sharing site of their own.

The AnonyOps Twitter page posted up a note on Sunday that stated, "Fighting back - The completely Anonymous version of Megaupload." A link on the Twitter page goes to Anonyupload.com, which currently has a placeholder page describing what the organizers say they want to offer users; namely free file server space with no advertising.

Fileserve, like several other file-sharing websites, used to pay uploaders when users downloaded their files (up to $25 for every 1,000 downloads according to their “About” page). However, as MegaUpload was taken down potentially for paying users when pirated material was downloaded, file-sharing websites such as Fileserve have had to clean up their act to ensure that they are not liable for facilitating copyright infringement. To do this, Fileserve appear to have terminated all accounts that made use of the payment program.

In case you were wondering, Fileserve is located in the United States (according to a quick IP locate) so the owners could have been arrested in a similar fashion to the owners of MegaUpload.

The move to terminate many accounts on Fileserve has certainly angered many of their users. People on the Digital Point forums are complaining that the website “is a scam” and that because of Fileserve’s actions the website “is finished.” Several members have threatened the admin, saying that they are “coming to kick your ass!”

Streaming

PC/MAC Air Video Server: http://www.inmethod.com/air-video/features.html
iTunes page: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/air-video-watch-your-videos/id306550020?mt=8

If you missed it yesterday, Megaupload.com was shut down and the owner and other individuals were arrested around the world after the site was accused of harboring piracy.

The owner of the site, Kim Schmitz, appears briefly on TV as he was arraigned in court in New Zealand. The video, posted below, shows Kim in court and the police say that they confiscated over 6 million dollars of vehicles and found more than 10 million dollars in cash (presumably in New Zealand dollars which coverts at a rate of NZD/USD = 1.24113).

After the arrest, Anonymous took it upon themselves to seek revenge in the name of megaupload.com. The group attacked many websites including the MPAA, RIAA, DOJ, and FBI. The attacks were all in the form of denial of service but raised awareness that the group was rather upset, along with many others, that megaupload.com was taken down.

Earlier this week, the popular file sharing site Megaupload got shut down by US government officials who claim the site was a den of online piracy. The move has shaken up the Internet has a whole and many wonder if the US will be making similar raids on other file sharing web sites.

Ars Technica got a comment from Daniel Raimer, a spokesperson for RapidShare, yet another well known and popular file sharing and locker site. The spokesperson claims that the company isn't worried about something happening to their site in the wake of the Megaupload raid. Raimer said, "We're not concerned or scared about the raid. File hosting itself is a legitimate business."

RapidShare's CEO Alexandra Zwingli points out that their company has tried to be more open about their business than the executives of Megaupload. He states:

RapidShare AG was founded in Switzerland and in fact, it was always located at the address given in the company details and was always run under real names without any anonymous intermediate businesses. The radical measures against Megaupload were apparently required since the situation there had been totally different.

Zwingli says that RapidShare acts "rigidly against copyright infringement" and adds that they don't offer any kind of reward system for people who upload content that is downloaded frequently by other users like Megaupload did.