Hacktivist collective Anonymous have made retaliation attacks after popular file-sharing site MegaUpload was taken down last night, and owner Kim Dotcom charged under piracy laws. So far the sites such as Universal Music Group, Motion Picture Association of America, RIAA and Department of Justice have all been downed in what could only be the beginning.
“It was in retaliation for Megaupload, as was the concurrent attack on Justice.org,” Anonymous operative Barrett Brown says.
Only a few hours before the attacks, the news broke that MegaUpload, one of the world’s largest file-sharing sites, had been shut down and several employees, including the founder, would be charged with violating piracy laws. The site has been accused of costing copyright holders over $500 million in lost revenue from pirated music and other content.
The Department of Justice, and Universal sites were immediately downed, and the website for the RIAA, or Recording Industry Association of America, went offline as well.
Moments later, MPAA.org also returned an error as Anonymous hacktivists managed to bring down the website for the Motion Picture Association of America as well.
Brown has added that “more is coming” and Anonymous-aligned hacktivists are pursuing joint efforts with others to “damage campaign raising abilities of remaining Democrats who support SOPA (SOPA/PIPA are two laws being proposed in the U.S that could violate people’s freedom on the internet).”
