FileSonic was a file hosting service site which is now defunct.
It was once one of the most popularfile locker services[1] which was primarily a consumer based service used from homes, although in a study conducted by security vendorPalo Alto Networks it was found to be in use on a majority of corporate networks.[2]
FileSonic used digital fingerprinting technology to detect prohibited sharing of copyrighted material on its network and had a designatedDMCA agent to facilitate takedown requests.[3]
However, on the week following thegovernment raid of theMegaUpload site, FileSonic chose to discontinue the sharing of files and permit only retrieval of files that individual users themselves had uploaded.[4][5]
Eventually, the changes enacted in the wake of the MegaUpload scandal, which were also enacted by the similarly named competitorFileServe, resulted in FileSonic going out of business.[1][6]
In the aftermath of theMegaUpload shutdown, the operators of FileSonic feared facing investigations and accusations similar to those directed at MegaUpload's founders, given their promotion offile sharing that potentially infringed upon copyright. Consequently, in the wake of MegaUpload's closure, FileSonic chose to shut down due to the apprehension of facing comparable charges.[7]
Moreover, during that period, there was some legal ambiguity surrounding the classification of digital lockers like MegaUpload. Both FileSonic andRapidShare implemented control measures to combat piracy on their platforms.[8]
Another consumer-oriented service accounting for a chunk of traffic was Filesonic, which appeared on 52 percent of networks
FileSonic uses digital fingerprinting technology from a content identification firm called Vobile to detect copyrighted material... The company has a designated DMCA agent and provides instructions for submitting a claim.
The service can "only be used to upload and retrieve files you have uploaded personally," according to a note posted on the site's home page. FileSonic also suspended its affiliates rewards program, which paid users when people downloaded their files.
File-sharing site FileSonic has announced that it has disabled "all sharing functionality", and that its service can "only be used to upload and retrieve files you have uploaded personally".
Popular digital locker service FileSonic has gone offline. The file-sharing site went dark on Wednesday and has been unreachable since