shortformblog:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation moved against a group of suspected online pirates Thursday, targeting the popular file-sharing website megaupload.com a day after Washington lawmakers were besieged by complaints about legislation designed to crack down on the online sharing of pirated copies of music, movies and other material, people familiar with the matter said.

Investigators said there was no connection between arrests in their two-year investigation and the political firestorm that erupted this week over a pending vote on the Stop Online Piracy Act.

This is a big deal, and even if it’s not related to SOPA, the timing certainly does a lot to put it on the minds of those worried about the law.

I wonder if they thought SOPA would act as a distraction or a confusing element for this? If they did then it hasn’t worked since it’s become big internet news incredibly fast. Beyond the fact that it will inherently make news to every single person that tries to use the site, inlcuding me, it was cutoff midway through a download.