Anonymous, a hacker group that rarely shies away from making its intentions and opinions known, has retaliated after file-sharing sites Megaupload and Megavideo were taken down. The group launched a series of DDoS attacks last night and claimed responsibility for the websites of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Universal Music, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the US Department of Justice being taken offline. Previously, Anonymous had warned that it would strike if the controversial SOPA bill was passed, but it appears that it has been rattled by the shut down of other file-sharing services.
The site’s founders have also been charged with violating piracy laws. The indictment itself described Megaupload as an “international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy”. Megaupload was taken down on Thursday, just one day after it voluntarily blacked itself out as a protest against SOPA.
The MPAA released a statement after its website was attacked. It stated that some groups, in a subtle nod to Anonymous, feel that opposing opinions should be silenced. It continued, “The Internet is home to creativity, innovation and free speech. We want to keep it that way. Protecting copyrights and protecting free speech go hand in hand." SOPA may have been dismissed for now, but the war on piracy is only just heating up.