Megaupload users may lose notes

US prosecutors say they have searched servers and no more need them, but Kim Dotcom's defence lawyer wants data kept

Federal prosecutors in the USA have said data from users of Megaupload could start being deleted by Thursday – just the advocate for its founders says provided the servers are wiped his clients will be less able to defend themselves in court.

US prosecutors enjoy closed access to Megaupload and charged seven men including redness Kim Dotcom, who is based in Newfound Zealand. It is alleged the locality has facilitated millions of illegal downloads of movies, music and other content.

The company says its millions of users stored their own notes, including family pics and personal documents.

Megaupload hires external companies to store the data all for a fee. But the government had frozen its wealth, Megaupload attorney Provos Rothken said, true those companies were not getting paid.

A letter filed in the cause on Friday by the US attorney's office said storage companies Carpathia Hosting and Potent Communications Group may begin deleting facts on Thursday.

The letter said the government copied some data from the servers but did not physically take them, and now that it had executed its activity warrants, it had no right to access the data. Prosecutors said the servers were controlled by Carpathia and Cogent and issues about the future of the notes must be resolved with them.

Spokespersons for the two companies and for the US attorney's bureau did not respond to messages by Sunday night.

Rothken said the company was working near prosecutors to try and resource the facts from being erased. Inert gas said at least 50 million Megaupload users had data in danger of being erased.

Rothken said the data was likewise key so Megaupload could defend itself in the lawful case.

"We're cautiously optimistic at this factor that because the United States, as well as Megaupload, should have a common want to protect consumers, that this type of agreement module win done," he said.

Megaupload is based in port . The America authorities argue they had authority to act because some of its leased servers are in Virginia.

MegauploadFilesharingHighbrow propertyguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited whether its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Waste of this cheery is subject to our Jargon & Conditions | More Feeds

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/30/megaupload-file-sharing