How Kim Dotcom's Mega Differs from MegaUpload

Connor Simpson

Last we checked in with Kim Dotcom, he was sounding a lot like a Bond villain and promising to "change the world" with his MegaUpload sequel. Take a look around you. Does anything feel different? Is your world changed? Because his new service Mega launched today. 

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So, how does this file-sharing thing differ from his old file-sharing thing? Beefed up privacy, for starters. As Dotcom explains to the Wall Street Journal, the 'on-the-fly encryption' is probably the site's biggest new feature. When you drag-and-drop a file to upload, the site automatically encrypts the information in the background in your browser. No application necessary. "This system, intended to protect both itself and its users from potential hacks or government raids, means that the service will not have access to users' uploaded content," explains the Verge's Kimber Streams. Other than that, it's pretty much the same in terms of functionality as far as we can tell. 

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Mega is currently suffering from some technical difficulties, which is never good for a site on its first day. The site is currently working at a snail's pace. But, at least according to Kim on Twitter, it's only because over 250,000 people signed up on the site's first day. Their problem is there are too many people using the product. 

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Whether or not the site will be shut down is the biggest question surrounding Mega. But Dotcom is confident his new product is here to stay, though the movie streaming site he teased could cause him some legal trouble. He told the WSJ that Mega is "the most legally scrutinized Internet site in the history of the Internet," which is like a bold claim. "Every single pixel on that site has been looked at by lawyers," he said, "and of course we are fully compliant with all laws."

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Hear that, governments? Mega is compliant with all the laws. All of them.