Megaupload Impact: FileSonic Commits Suicide, What About Others?

Amid the fuss over crackdown on Megaupload, a rival file-sharing service provider FileSonic has voluntarily halted its service partially.

All sharing functionality on FileSonic is now disabled. Our service can only be used to upload and retrieve files that you have uploaded personally, FileSonic said in a statement. If this file belongs to you, please login to download it directly from your file manager.

FileSonic did not give further explanation of its action. As a result, some of the users of FileSonic are raising their voice in its Facebook page.

FileSonic's action can seen as an awakening sign for file sharing services as they can all meet the same fate as Megaupload. But not all are afraid of being raided by the law enforcement agencies.

Rapidshare AG based in Switzerland has emphasized that they are different from Megaupload as they conduct their business in a transparent manner without anonymous intermediate business. Alexandra Zwingli, CEO of Rapidshare, said that its service is an absolutely legal service - like Swisscom or YouTube, Ars Technica reported.

Rapidshare has also established a constructive dialogue with politics and society in the United States and in other countries, Zwingli said.

Nonetheless, FileSonic's voluntary action gives focus on the anti-piracy bills - SOPA and PIPA - that are currently under debate in the U.S. Congress. At the same time, it also lets file-sharing and cloud service providers realize that the long arm of the law enforcement agencies are never too long.