1 November 2012 Last updated at 11:04
Kim Dotcom has announced plans
for Mega, a service to replace his
shut down file-sharing website
Megaupload.

Mega is expected to use encryption
methods which will mean only users
will know what they are uploading. It will be decided in March whether Mr
Dotcom should be extradited from
New Zealand to the US to face charges
relating to copyright theft. The 38-year-old said he would launch
Mega on 20 January 2013 - a year to
the day since his arrest. By keeping details of files uploaded on
Mega secret from the site's
administrators, Mr Dotcom said he
believed this would mean the site was
not in violation of US laws. "The new Mega will not be threatened
by US prosecutors," he said. "The new Mega avoids any dealings
with US hosters, US domains and US
backbone providers and has changed
the way it operates to avoid another
takedown."
Announcing the new site on Twitter,
Mr Dotcom said the holding page - hosted at Me.ga - was already getting "millions" of hits. He said many of the visits were from US
authorities themselves, tweeting: "All
FBI agents pressing reload hahaha...
We see their IP addresses. LOL!!!" Exact details of the encryption
methods on the upcoming site have
not been released. However, it
appears to look to shift responsibility
for unlawful content onto the users,
rather than the site's owners.
"In the past, securely storing and
transferring confidential information
required the installation of dedicated
software," a message on Mega's
holding page said. "The new Mega encrypts and decrypts
your data transparently in your
browser, on the fly. You hold the keys
to what you store in the cloud, not us." In an interview with Reuters, Mr
Dotcom suggested that content
owners might even get direct access to
users' uploaded files "if they agree not
to make us responsible for actions of
users". The site's servers will not be hosted in
the US, Mr Dotcom added. A page on
the Mega site makes a plea to
encourage more investors for the
service. "We have raised sufficient funds to
cover the launch," the message reads,
"but we would like to provide Mega
free of charge for as long as possible." Mr Dotcom had previously released details of a sister service, Megabox, which will offer music-related
downloads.

Unlawful raid
Mr Dotcom - formerly Kim Schmitz -
currently resides in his New Zealand
mansion which was raided by local
authorities at the start of this year. The raid and seizure of assets was
later deemed illegal by a New Zealand
court. It was also later ruled that intelligence
agencies had illegally spied on Mr
Dotcom - an incident which drew an
apology from New Zealand Prime
Minister John Key. "We failed to provide that appropriate
protection for him," he said. "It is the GCSB's [Government
Communications Security Bureau]
responsibility to act within the law,
and it is hugely disappointing that in
this case its actions fell outside the
law." If extradited and convicted in the US,
Mr Dotcom faces up to 20 years in
prison.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20165657

The new site is getting "millions" of
hits, Kim Dotcom says

Megaupload's Kim Dotcom was visited
by Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak
in June