Cyberlocker service Filesonic has disabled all file-sharing functions on its site, and shut down its affiliate rewards program, following the Megaupload shutdown and arrests last week.
According to an announcement by the site, all file-sharing functionality has now been disabled, leaving current users only with access to files that they have personally uploaded.
The move mans that millions of links all around the web have now been rendered useless, at least temporarily.
Filesonic has also ended its rewards program, meaning that uploaders to the site no longer earn money when people download their files.
Filesonic ranks among the top 10 file-sharing sites on the Internet, with a quarter billion page views a month.
While there has been no official explanation from the site as to why the above actions were taken, the move co-incides with the closure of Megaupload and the arrest of its founder and management team.
In December, Filesonic announced it had partnered with Vobile, a provider of content identification services. All uploads to the service were said to be being checked for copyright infringement before users were able to share them publicly, although it is unclear if this system was ever implemented by the site.
Megaupload shutdown
Last week, the DoJ forced Megaupload and related domain names offline, and charged the firm’s co-founders and others with violating piracy laws.
Megaupload attracted 150 million registered users and 50 million daily visitors. At one point, it was estimated to be the 13th most frequently visited website on the Internet.
Users could upload material to the company’s sites which then would create a link that could be distributed. Users could purchase memberships to the site to obtain faster upload and download services, the primary source of revenue. The web page with the link to the copyrighted material would include advertisements, another source of revenue.
Four of the employees have been arrested in Auckland, New Zealand, at the request of the US authorities.
They appeared in court on Friday. One of their lawyers initially objected to media requests for photographs, but the accused said that they did not mind “because we have nothing to hide”.
The movie and music industries want Congress to crack down on Internet piracy and content theft, but major Internet companies like Google and Facebook have complained that current drafts of the legislation would lead to censorship.
