In a Q&A session with Slashdot users this week, Kim Dotcom, the infamous former millionaire at the center of a US court case against Megaupload, has told all about what happened to his new site.
Mega was created by Dotcom two years ago as a secure, encrypted alternative to his former service. It launched at a lavish party to much fanfare and has proved relatively popular since.
Dotcom, however, is no longer involved in the site due to ongoing legal battles and a separation from his wife, who owned his shares in the site.
A user on Slashdot asked Dotcom: “I’ve seen some criticism from open source advocates and hackers that Mega can’t be trusted because the source isn’t available. What assurance could you give someone to the point that their files may not be kept secret while hosted on your platform?”
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
Dotcom responded saying that he is “not involved in Mega anymore” in a “managing nor in a shareholder capacity” and says that the company suffered from a “hostile takeover by a Chinese investor” who has had his shares seized by the New Zealand government (something that Mega denies, of course).
He continued saying that “as a result of this and a number of other confidential issues I don’t trust Mega anymore. I don’t think your data is safe on Mega.”
I will issue a detailed statement about the status of #Mega next week. Then you can make an educated decision if you still want to use it.
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) July 31, 2015
Apparently Dotcom isn’t stopping, though, and plans to build an “open source and non-profit” Mega competitor when his non-compete runs out at the end of the year. He thinks it could be funded similar to Wikipedia, on donations.
Another user asked about what drives Dotcom to keep going. He responded:
It ain’t easy. I had to carry a lot of pain and fear fora lot of people in the last few years. They destroyed my business. They took everything I worked for and seized all my assets.They destroyed my family and drove my wife back into depression and alcoholism which destroyed the happy family we once had. So many people suffered as a result of the unjust actions by both the US and New Zealand governments. I thought about giving up. Who wouldn’t in such a situation.
But I have to fight because I have such a huge responsibility. First and foremost I have to fight for my five children. They need me. Unfortunately they can’t rely on anybody else. And of course I’m fighting for all of you. If I give up all of you will lose. They will use this case to turn our Internet to shit. I love the Internet. It gave me everything. I believe in Internet freedom, in your right to share, in your right to privacy. With your help and your support I can do it. I want to win this fight for all of us.
The hearing on whether Kim Dotcom will be extradited to the US to face trial is expected to reach a decision in September.
Update: Mega replied to our request for comment with an extensive document detailing its objections to Kim Dotcom’s claims.
It says that “More than 75% of shareholders have supported recent equity issues, so there has not been any ‘hostile takeover’, contrary to Mr Dotcom’s assertion.”
In response to allegations of frozen shares by the New Zealand High Court the company says the authorities “have not opposed or interefered with any of Mega’s operations.”
The company also went on to say that Kim Dotcom “was not involved in the design and implementation of Mega technology” and has not held any managerial role since October 2013, nor received any compensation or salary.
You can read the full text of Mega’s response here.
➤ Kim Dotcom Answers Your Questions [Slashdot]
Image credit: Owen / TNW
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.