Torrent Site BTJunkie Voluntarily Shuts Down
BTJunkie, one of the world’s most popular torrent sites, has voluntarily ended its operation. “The decision does not come easy, but we’ve decided to voluntarily shut down,” reads a message posted on the torrent search engine’s site. “We’ve been fighting for years for your right to communicate, but it’s time to move on. It’s been an experience of a lifetime, we wish you all the best!”
The site’s decision to shut down comes in the wake of serious legal action against Megaupload, which was forcibly shut down by the United States Department of Justice last month. Kim Dotcom, that site’s co-founder, is facing extradition to the United States after being indicted in January by a grand jury on charges including conspiracy to commit both copyright infringement and money laundering.
While BTJunkie is the first major file-sharing operation to voluntarily close, others have made changes in order to appease lawmakers and keep a low profile. FileSonic, for example, has restricted members to only downloading and uploading their own files, and Uploaded.to has blocked visitors with IP addresses within the United States.
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