AfterDawn: News

FBI and police must return personal data seized in Megaupload raid

A New Zealand court has ordered that the FBI and police must return Kim Dotcom's personal data that was seized during the raid of Megaupload last year.

Additionally, they must specify all information that is at the core of their case against the file sharing service that once accounted for a large share of the world's Internet traffic at any given time.



High Court Justice Helen Winkelmann ruled again that the raid of Dotcom's mansion was illegal since they did not have proper warrants. The police and FBI must now return any digital data that is not relevant to the case.

Furthermore, the Justice ordered the FBI to destroy all clones they have of Megaupload's hard drives that contain personal information or other none relevant information to the case.

Dotcom and the rest of the defendants must be given copies of the hard drives and information that will be used in the case against them.

It is unclear if users will get their personal data back, but it seems to be a step in the right direction.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 31 May 2013 20:58

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• 4 comments

• skeil909

  If the raid has been ruled illegal, then why does the FBI get to retain anything at all? That kind of defeats the purpose of the ruling.
  They're basically saying, "do your illegal raids and you can keep whatever is relevant to your case. But, you must return everything else." lol

  1.6.2013 10:55 #1

• Mysttic

  Quote:If the raid has been ruled illegal, then why does the FBI get to retain anything at all? That kind of defeats the purpose of the ruling. They're basically saying, "do your illegal raids and you can keep whatever is relevant to your case. But, you must return everything else." lol Because forcing the FBI to give another country back anything is like demanding US to get their soldiers out of your country. You can ask, demand, negotiate all you want; however time and again US has proven US gets what it wants, because it is above every other country in the world. (No offense to Americans, but that is literally how you rub off when you look at history.)
  
  Now if it's was New Zealands own special forces, and it had no global bearing on the case, than it would have been just that assuming the raids were still considered illegal.

  1.6.2013 12:53 #2

• Mrguss

  The FBI or any U.S. Govt. agency are no more that THUGS ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thugs ), who PREY on countries & people that can't fight for their rights here in USA or anywhere in the world.
  So here it's ONCE AGAIN why people around the world and even their own citizens hate the U.S. Government.
  

  +5000

  1.6.2013 15:38 #3

• Jemborg

  Of course it's NZ not the US of A.
  
  It's amazing how the US citizens just let the corporations just do whatever they want without even giving them a reach around.
  
  Originally posted by Mrguss:
  So here it's ONCE AGAIN why people around the world and even their own citizens hate the U.S. Government. Because it does whatever their private corporations want? :)
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  

  2.6.2013 00:14 #4