Megaupload User Data May Be Gone By, Cloud to Avoid SOPA Threats

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has caused a major uproar across the Web whilst simultaneously becoming a polarizing political topic.  In case you need a refresher, SOPA is an act being proposed by congress to stop the spreading and sharing of unauthorized copyrighted content across the Internet.The act threatens to change the very way we have navigated the Web for the past two decades. SOPA would enable the government to shut down any website that links to a server that hosts copyrighted files. This means that any website that has a message board would be at risk of government takeover, since any user can possibly post a link to a cloud-based server hosting illegal content.It creates an interesting polemic: obviously there needs to be a way to track and control the unauthorized spread of copyrighted material,
but one of the greatest aspects of the Internet is the freedom it offers every user.
Most of the sites that are of major concern to SOPA supporters are cloud-based file hosting sites, like RapidShare and Megaupload. Megaupload was recently shut-down, not as an act of SOPA, but rather for its blatant hosting of copyrighted content. It was congress’s initial scapegoat, making a strong example before SOPA has been able to be passed.
With the possibility of many of the Web’s most popular file sharing sites being shut down, the best bet for many users is to start utilizing personal cloud sharing. If people start putting all their files into the cloud, they will be safe from creating any legal issues. One of the easiest ways to get yourself into trouble is to “seed” (allow users to download files from your computer) files.
Many popular files sharing servers have users seed files to other computers without their knowing it. When you do this, congress can easily label you as a threat. You may not even know you own an illegal file, but that’s of no matter to the law. You could find yourself in a heap of trouble.
Instead of using sketchy file-sharing clouds, like Megaupload, put your files into the cloud with Norton Online Backup. You’ll never have to worry about other users seeding from your stash of media, thus keeping yourself out of harm’s way.
As long as SOPA remains a hot topic, cloud computing and cloud storage will be synonymous with the proposed act. SOPA threatens to change the way we surf the web, share files, and store files. Make sure you’re up to date on how SOPA may affect your personal cloud by checking back with InThePersonalCloud for updates on how you can keep yourself best prepared for the act…if and when it goes into affect.