Mega hits One Million Users in a Day

Mega, the new file sharing service from Kim Dotcom, has passed one million users, gained in a single day, Dotcom says. The launch, not a "re-launch" of Megaupload, still is about "content distribution," a business focus that got Megaupload into trouble over content piracy.

Dotcom says that will not be an issue for Upload. Content owners are certain not to be reassured. The service offers users 50 Gbytes of free content storage, and operates in that sense in a manner similar to Dropbox or Skydrive.

The new twist is that Upload is described as a privacy play. Since all data is encrypted, the service can claim that it has no idea what users are uploading and storing, or sharing. The user terms of service specifically forbid upload of copyrighted material, but, by design, Upload won't know what content is uploaded.

It's just another example of friction between IP-based technology and legal frameworks, between what can be done and what is supposed to be done. Even the privacy angle has a dual character. The site protects user data, which many will say is a good thing, for obvious reasons. But that same privacy also cloaks criminal and other anti-social activities.