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MEGA: Kim Schmitz makes a comeback

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February 11, 2013

Many people admire his business acumen. Data privacy groups denounce him as a supporter of software piracy. 39-year-old internet entrepreneur Kim Schmitz launched his new file-hosting service, MEGA, on January 19. Users can upload 50 gigabytes of data for free onto a cloud server.

Kim Schmitz is one of the most controversial and colorful figures in the internet scene. Since 2007, it's been known that he ran the now defunct internet site Megaupload. It was known worldwide as a storage place for pirate copies of films, computer games and music. The United States accused the operators of Megaupload of having caused 370 million euros in damage. Although threatened with prison in the US, Kim Schmitz seems unflappable and with MEGA, he's starting again, right where he left off.

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