Megaupload

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Megaupload is a one-click hosting website. It operates from Hong Kong [1] and is financed by AdBrite and by the subscriptions of paying premium users.

Non-premium service is available for free, and allows users to upload files of up to 500 MB, previously 250 MB, without registration. The user is then supplied with a unique URL, which locates the file and enables anyone with whom the uploader shares it to download the file.

When a file is uploaded, the user is given a URL, in the form of http://megaupload.com/?d= followed by an 8 digit alpha-numeric code. The files can only be found upon entering this URL, as in order to protect privacy of uploaders megaupload does not feature a search option.

Free downloading entails joining a queue for between 30 seconds and several hours, depending on demand, the number of recent downloads from that IP address and the location of the downloader.

Registration and payment bring several perks such as upload of larger files, download of several files simultaneously, queue-skipping, and the facility to interrupt and re-start download.

This is where Megauploads become infamous. After a user clicked a Megaupload link, unless they have an IP based on the US, UK, Canada, or other countries, which provided a lot of contribution to Megaupload operation, there is a big chance that a user (with IP based on the "less contributive" countries) will get an error message, saying all the slots for their country are full (since each "less-contributive" country is only assigned a very limited number of download slots) instead of a valid download session. Regardless, this limit can be easily bypassed by using a proxy or by installing the Megaupload Toolbar, which is probably not spyware.^{[citation needed]}

Search engines are commonly used to find download links about a specific subject, including illegally shared files, such as adult movies and games.

Megaupload claims to be the first site on the Internet paying users for hosting their files, however other file sharing services have been registered prior to Megaupload. With its Megaupload Rewards program, uploaders earn reward points which can be exchanged for cash prizes and premium services.

Megaupload claims that the site transfers more than 100 TiB from over 1,500,000 users daily. According to Alexa.com, Megaupload has ranked in the top 100 websites in terms of traffic since March, 2006. As of March 25, 2007 it was ranked 14.[2]

An abundance of storage servers based on the "advertisement plus subscriptions" business model are active as of mid-2006. The following servers, along with Megaupload, seem to be the most popular: