4 ms·

Megaupload had a ‘large number’ of users from DOJ and U.S. Senate

24 points by saadmalik01 15y ago

maaku 15y ago
As someone working in the government, I can tell you why: files too big to email. There's an inane number of security rules regarding when and by what means you can move files around internal networks. Using Megaupload probably wasn't kosher, but strangely it didn't bring down the I.T. security police.
- bproper 15y ago
  So you're saying the site was commonly used by government workers for legit purposes? There wasn't some internal, more secure tool for this?
  - TheCapn 15y ago
    >There wasn't some internal, more secure tool for this? Depends on who you ask. Now I can't speak for US Gov't but at my job files that are too big for email get dumped onto an FTP server. This is only because I knew to ask if we had an FTP server for such uses. I can certainly see my coworkers attempting to send a 150MB file, getting the error then immediately hitting Google for a workaround instead of asking the helpdesk for options.
  - maaku 15y ago
    There probably was an internal tool, but it was also probably too complicated and convoluted to use. I don't work at DOJ or the Senate, but at my agency (NASA) there is a "large file transfer tool". It requires an obscure login with inane password requirements (and short expirations, so passwords expire more often than people probably use the tool), and the site can only be accessed from behind the firewall, making it useless for sharing files while on travel or with contracting organizations and collaborators at universities. The result? Nobody uses it. Thankfully the organization I work at has our own security plan, so we created our own large-file tool that was easier to use. Before that people would give me (the web developer) a file to upload to an obscure URL on our web server, since that was easier and more reliable than dealing with the approved NASA solution. If I wasn't there I could totally see them using megaupload or something similar instead.
- stfu 15y ago
  Same story with my former employer, a large (old) media conglomerate. In order to solve the problem I set up a small file hosting script for our department because the only option for sending large-files offered by the internal IT department was through FTP accounts - and people were way to lazy setting them up accounts, remembering passwords, or explain others how to use FTPs. I am quite sure those file sharing services were/are popular especially among smaller media/tv/audio production companies.
  - rdtsc 15y ago
    Wonder if there is a market for a MU type application to be sold to these companies, it can be run internally. User uploads files to it and then reference them in email. An expiry can be setup and/or an access code. Nobody from outside could see the file. Have to be on the company VPN to access.
    - earl 15y ago
      Isn't that windows sharepoint? And I think it is a huge business. See also yammer (that's probably where they're going, no?), box.net, and atlassian's products (jira, wiki, etc).
      - rdtsc 15y ago
        Alright, that figures. I am just out of touch with that product area.
    - johncoltrane 15y ago
      There are many, many, many such products. My (large) employer standardized on one called Envoy last year after having used many concurrent solutions. It sucks big time so lots of people use Mediafire, Yousendit or Megaupload instead.
- bsphil 15y ago
  Sharing files will never be easy due to the copyright implications/fears, regardless of how many legitimate applications there are.
nirvana 15y ago
I hope they publish the list of these users, along with any other information they can use (were they sharing porn?) etc. Bascially, I consider the entire MegaUpload / Bodog / Domain Siezures activity we've been having lately to be completely criminal on the part of the government. (I think the warrants are fraudulent, and the actions are not legal under the constitution.) While having the goods on politicians won't stop the overall trend, it might end the careers of a few of the more evil ones.
mc32 15y ago
Ok, so what does that mean? MU had large numbers of people who used it legitimately and illegitimately. Did those large numbers of DOJ/Senators belong to the former or latter camp? From the article itself, while not conclusive, seems to hint that those might have been legitimate users (MU's justification for existing). The reason for their takedown was the illegitimate use. I don't see a contradiction. I see irony. It seems more like a "gotcha"/linkbait headline than incriminating, as the "oh, snap" might suggest.
- 27182818284 15y ago
  Perhaps a not so subtle, "Take it easy with us, who knows what we know..."

24 points by saadmalik01 15y ago

maaku 15y ago

As someone working in the government, I can tell you why: files too big to email. There's an inane number of security rules regarding when and by what means you can move files around internal networks. Using Megaupload probably wasn't kosher, but strangely it didn't bring down the I.T. security police.

bproper 15y ago
So you're saying the site was commonly used by government workers for legit purposes? There wasn't some internal, more secure tool for this?
- TheCapn 15y ago
  >There wasn't some internal, more secure tool for this? Depends on who you ask. Now I can't speak for US Gov't but at my job files that are too big for email get dumped onto an FTP server. This is only because I knew to ask if we had an FTP server for such uses. I can certainly see my coworkers attempting to send a 150MB file, getting the error then immediately hitting Google for a workaround instead of asking the helpdesk for options.
- maaku 15y ago
  There probably was an internal tool, but it was also probably too complicated and convoluted to use. I don't work at DOJ or the Senate, but at my agency (NASA) there is a "large file transfer tool". It requires an obscure login with inane password requirements (and short expirations, so passwords expire more often than people probably use the tool), and the site can only be accessed from behind the firewall, making it useless for sharing files while on travel or with contracting organizations and collaborators at universities. The result? Nobody uses it. Thankfully the organization I work at has our own security plan, so we created our own large-file tool that was easier to use. Before that people would give me (the web developer) a file to upload to an obscure URL on our web server, since that was easier and more reliable than dealing with the approved NASA solution. If I wasn't there I could totally see them using megaupload or something similar instead.
stfu 15y ago
Same story with my former employer, a large (old) media conglomerate. In order to solve the problem I set up a small file hosting script for our department because the only option for sending large-files offered by the internal IT department was through FTP accounts - and people were way to lazy setting them up accounts, remembering passwords, or explain others how to use FTPs. I am quite sure those file sharing services were/are popular especially among smaller media/tv/audio production companies.
- rdtsc 15y ago
  Wonder if there is a market for a MU type application to be sold to these companies, it can be run internally. User uploads files to it and then reference them in email. An expiry can be setup and/or an access code. Nobody from outside could see the file. Have to be on the company VPN to access.
  - earl 15y ago
    Isn't that windows sharepoint? And I think it is a huge business. See also yammer (that's probably where they're going, no?), box.net, and atlassian's products (jira, wiki, etc).
    - rdtsc 15y ago
      Alright, that figures. I am just out of touch with that product area.
  - johncoltrane 15y ago
    There are many, many, many such products. My (large) employer standardized on one called Envoy last year after having used many concurrent solutions. It sucks big time so lots of people use Mediafire, Yousendit or Megaupload instead.
bsphil 15y ago
Sharing files will never be easy due to the copyright implications/fears, regardless of how many legitimate applications there are.

nirvana 15y ago

I hope they publish the list of these users, along with any other information they can use (were they sharing porn?) etc. Bascially, I consider the entire MegaUpload / Bodog / Domain Siezures activity we've been having lately to be completely criminal on the part of the government. (I think the warrants are fraudulent, and the actions are not legal under the constitution.) While having the goods on politicians won't stop the overall trend, it might end the careers of a few of the more evil ones.

mc32 15y ago

Ok, so what does that mean? MU had large numbers of people who used it legitimately and illegitimately. Did those large numbers of DOJ/Senators belong to the former or latter camp? From the article itself, while not conclusive, seems to hint that those might have been legitimate users (MU's justification for existing). The reason for their takedown was the illegitimate use. I don't see a contradiction. I see irony. It seems more like a "gotcha"/linkbait headline than incriminating, as the "oh, snap" might suggest.

27182818284 15y ago
Perhaps a not so subtle, "Take it easy with us, who knows what we know..."