Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom says that millions of personal Megaupload files have been destroyed by the file-hosting service Leaseweb, despite repeated requests from his lawyers that Leaseweb protect the servers while Dotcom is prosecuted by U.S. authorities.
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) June 19, 2013
The dual citizen of Germany and Finland said the data included petabytes — one petabyte is equal to 1,000 terabytes — of "pictures, backups, personal & business property."
Before it was shut down in January 2012, the file-sharing site Megaupload was one of the world's most popular websites — millions of users stored data, either for free or by paying for premium service. The site carried 4 percent of internet traffic.
Dotcom, 39, is currently fighting extradition to the U.S. relating to charges including engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to commit copyright infringement, conspiring to commit money laundering, and two counts of criminal copyright infringement.
Dotcom partly blamed the U.S. government for the deletions. He said his team asked the Justice Department (DOJ) to release some of Megaupload's $42 million in frozen assets so that they could buy all of the servers but the DOJ refused.
This is the largest data massacre in the history of the Internet caused by the U.S. government, the Department of Justice & #Leaseweb.
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) June 19, 2013=
The news is a big blow to Dotcom, who has won a string of legal victories over the last year. He seems pretty broken up by it:
This is a sad day for the Internet. I'm so very sorry that #Megaupload user data in Europe is now irreversibly lost. I'm in tears #Leaseweb.
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) June 19, 2013
Dotcom's legal team has been pushing to gain access to documents — including nearly 22 million emails— that were seized in the January 2012 raid on his New Zealand estate.
#Leaseweb is now #Deleteweb.
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) June 19, 2013
SEE ALSO: Kim Dotcom Is Basking In Another Significant Legal Victory Over The US Government
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