FileSonic

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FileSonic was a file hosting service site which is now defunct.

It was once one of the most popular file locker services [1] which was primarily a consumer based service used from homes, although in a study conducted by security vendor Palo Alto Networks it was found to be in use on a majority of corporate networks. [2]

FileSonic used digital fingerprinting technology to detect prohibited sharing of copyrighted material on its network and had a designated DMCA agent to facilitate takedown requests. [3]

However, on the week following the government raid of the MegaUpload site, FileSonic chose to discontinue the sharing of files and permit only retrieval of files that individual users themselves had uploaded. [4] [5]

Eventually, the changes enacted in the wake of the MegaUpload scandal, which were also enacted by the similarly named competitor FileServe, resulted in FileSonic going out of business. [1] [6]

In the aftermath of the MegaUpload shutdown, the operators of FileSonic feared facing investigations and accusations similar to those directed at MegaUpload's founders, given their promotion of file sharing that potentially infringed upon copyright. Consequently, in the wake of MegaUpload's closure, FileSonic chose to shut down due to the apprehension of facing comparable charges. [7]

Moreover, during that period, there was some legal ambiguity surrounding the classification of digital lockers like MegaUpload. Both FileSonic and RapidShare implemented control measures to combat piracy on their platforms. [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 "FileSonic cyberlocker offline after piracy complaints". BBC News. BBC. January 22, 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Brodkin, Jon (Jan 19, 2012). "Before shutdown, Megaupload ate up more corporate bandwidth than Dropbox". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved 17 July 2016. Another consumer-oriented service accounting for a chunk of traffic was Filesonic, which appeared on 52 percent of networks
  3. ↑ Paul, Ryan (Jan 22, 2012). "FileSonic has disabled file sharing in wake of Megaupload takedown". Ars Technica. Conde Nast. Retrieved 17 July 2016. FileSonic uses digital fingerprinting technology from a content identification firm called Vobile to detect copyrighted material... The company has a designated DMCA agent and provides instructions for submitting a claim.
  4. ↑ Musil, Steven (January 22, 2012). "FileSonic disables file sharing in wake of MegaUpload arrests". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 17 July 2016. The service can "only be used to upload and retrieve files you have uploaded personally," according to a note posted on the site's home page. FileSonic also suspended its affiliates rewards program, which paid users when people downloaded their files.
  5. ↑ Whittaker, Zack (January 22, 2012). "FileSonic shutters: Another file-sharing site bites the dust". ZDnet. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 17 July 2016. File-sharing site FileSonic has announced that it has disabled "all sharing functionality", and that its service can "only be used to upload and retrieve files you have uploaded personally".
  6. ↑ Whittaker, Zack (September 3, 2012). "FileSonic goes offline". CNET. CBS. Retrieved 17 July 2016. Popular digital locker service FileSonic has gone offline. The file-sharing site went dark on Wednesday and has been unreachable since
  7. ↑ M. Fernandes, Joana (September 12, 2012). "FileSonic fecha portas". SAPO Tek (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  8. ↑ Rita Guerra, Ana (January 23, 2012). "FileSonic suspende partilha de ficheiros depois de encerramento do Megaupload". Dinheiro Vivo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-06-27.
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