Kim Dotcom: Mega Will "Take Encryption To The Mainstream"

This week the next-generation iteration of online file hosting known as Mega has taken hold, its creator Kim Dotcom making it clear in an interview that this is no Megaupload, his goal being to usher in a new era for the web. This interview took place with the Wall Street Journal and included no lack of assurances from Dotcom that this web service would not end up like the last. Singing some of the same tunes as he did this past weekend at the official launch of the service from his own New Zealand mansion, Dotcom made clear: "Every single pixel on that site has been looked at by lawyers, and of course we are fully compliant with all laws."

Dotcom's service here is what he describes as a culmination of seven years working with the largest file serving service in the world, Megaupload, here in 2013 made to be "the best cloud storage business the world has ever seen." Dotcom's questions from WSJ also included a query on how large Mega would be getting, be it as large or larger than Megaupload. Dotcom let it be known that "it will hopefully take off within a year" but that "it's just so good that it's going to spread" – confidence indeed!

Perhaps the most important bit that Dotcom went into here in the security and multi-tiered service that Mega is now and will soon offer to its users. The following is what Dotcom describes as new and unique about Mega as compared to the Megaupload and Megaupload-like sites of the past:

"I would say the biggest new development is on-the-fly encryption. Without having to install any kind of application—it happens in your browser in the background—it encrypts, giving you privacy. This means when you transfer data, anyone sitting on that line will get nothing as it is all scrambled and impossible to decrypt without your key. This is going to take encryption to the mainstream.

We have some servers in New Zealand, we have some servers in Europe and we have invited hosting partners to sign up to join us. Basically anyone can connect a server in their hosting facility, hook it up to Internet, give us access and we can make it a Megaserver. Every file that is being uploaded to Mega is not just on one server, meaning if one hosting company goes bankrupt then those files will be on least two servers in the world and in two different jurisdictions." – Dotcom

Have a peek at the timeline below to see what's happened with Mega since it's launch and stay tuned as we follow this service through the future as well. Do you use Mega right this minute? Did you utilize Megaupload before it was cut down at the knees by the government powers that be? Let us know what you think!