Megaupload was one of the largest file hosting sites. Created in 2005, it allowed anyone to upload files to make them freely available for download. The company behind the site also offered other services such as MegaVideo, which offered videos for streaming, and even a service specializing in the hosting of pornographic material.

Yesterday, in an international operation, the U.S.A. Department of Justice  had the Megaupload sites shut down by the FBI and obtained the arrest of its founder Kim Schmitz, also known as Kim Dotcom, in New Zealand. Along with him, other members of his team are accused: the German chief marketing officer Batato Finn, the Slovak site’s graphic designer Julius Bencko, the  the German development manager Sven Echternach, the German CTO Mathias Ortmann, the Estonian software developer Andrus Nomm, the Dutch network manager Bram van der Kolk. Some team members have already been arrested while others are still wanted.

It was well known that Megaupload also hosted pirated material, even if those were only part of the files available on the site, which was even supported by various artists. For the presence and trade of pirate material the charge is causing the loss of income for more than $500 million but also of conspiracy and money laundering for which the accused could face up to 60 years in prison.

Megaupload was selling premium access to its site and during the operation against the company assets for about $50 million were seized but it’s estimated to have had an income of more than three times that.

Shortly after the operation against Megaupload, the Anonymous group has unleashed its revenge with a massive DDOS against the sites of the U.S.A. Justice Department, RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and Universal Music.

The timing of this operation is curious, because it comes right after the huge protest against SOPA and PIPA, the bills of U.S.A. Congress that give enormous powers against not only online piracy, which is their stated purpose, but also against any site that might show any support to piracy. If any of these laws should be approved, corporations will be able to take down any “inconvenient” site.

Given the revenge of the Anonymous group, there’s a risk that SOPA and PIPA supporters starts to call terrorists all those who protested against them to scare people and obtain their approval.

Actually, this operation shows that there’s no need for censorship laws on the Internet and that the existing ones are more than enough to lead to the termination of Megaupload services, which included legal material. That might not be enough for dinosaurs of certain corporations.