MEGA
Secure cloud storage and communication platform.
MEGA, the successor of 
MegaUpload , is a cloud storage and file hosting service produced by Mega Limited. This cloud-storage solution claims to protect your privacy with end-to-end encryption and offers a "Secure Collaboration" feature.
MegaUpload , is a cloud storage and file hosting service produced by Mega Limited. This cloud-storage solution claims to protect your privacy with end-to-end encryption and offers a "Secure Collaboration" feature.Comments and Reviews
Categories
Backup & Sync • File Sharing • Security & Privacy • OS & Utilities • Video & Movies • Web Browsers • Bitcoin & CryptocurrencyPlatform details
Google Chrome: Browser extension for client-side password verification.
Firefox: Browser extension for client-side password verification.
Tags
- backup-and-restore
- cloud-storage
- selective-synchronization
- file-hosting
- File Upload
For users seeking a stable, reliable, end-to-end encrypted file storage/sync service, Mega is probably a bad choice in the long run.
Firstly, it is a constant controversy magnet: from Kim DotCom (the founder) getting ousted and then making allegations against the service he created, to the discovery of fundamental security vulnerabilities, to Mega's servers getting hacked in November 2016, and on, and on... there are just too many confidence-deflating developments...
Secondly, the service is quite slow or, at best, sporadic. The client can be very slow even to index and upload files. The Firefox plugin seems completely broken (as of the time of this review).
Thirdly, the 50GB "for free" sounds just too good to be true (and things that sound too good to be true usually are). You should always exercise a healthy degree of skepticism when you're being offered something "for free" (e.g. Chrome and Gmail and Facebook and Yahoo! Mail are "free" because you pay for them with you privacy when every detail of what you do online is used to make ads - where will THAT data end up in 20 years?). "Freemium" services offer a little (e.g. 2-5 GB of storage) in the hope you'll like the service and buy more. 50 GB is an order of magnitude greater. For me that stretches believability.
Fourth, MEGA's predecessor, MegaUpload, was shut down - however unfairly - by request of US authorities acting ostensibly to protect Hollywood copyrighted material. It's more than likely MEGA is being used to share files illegally, and that therefore it will be targeted/closed in a similar way. It's heritage doesn't inspire confidence that the service will be around for the next 10 years, just exactly. Also, Mega's original founder, Kim Dotcom has alleged that the service is under the control now of people who have less than stellar reputations.
If you're looking for a stable, reliable, end-to-end/zero-knowledge encrypted file backup/sync service, you're better off paying at least a small amount for a reliable service without the security pitfalls and constant controversy.
Examples include:
However, if you want to have a low price for lots of storage AND have encryption, a good choice is using a non-encrypted service together with Cryptomator, which is an open source encryption app for Linux, Mac and Windows and which lets you set different passwords for different folders (Use a password manager like KeePass to generate and remember them). Cryptomator is specifically designed to give you privacy in the cloud and its free and open source. You can easily pair it up with excellent and low cost services like pCloud (Switzerland) and Seafile.de (Germany), or any other sync service of your choice. Such services are likely to be around much longer than Mega, judging by how things have been going with it so far, but that's just my guess.
Believe it, it's really 50GB storage.
Reply written about 4 years ago
I didn't write that I doubt it's 50GB. My point was that the combination of this - which is an order of magnitude greater than competitors offer - together with the fact that Mega's code was found to contain security vulnerabilities, that the predecessor service was shut down amid much controversy, that their founder no longer supports them after having been ousted... and so on... does nothing to create an atmosphere of trust around Mega to any level where I'd believe it's a good place to put my files, trust their crypto, security practices, that they are trustworthy - be that ethically or that they will be around next month/year. It's just not a background I associate with a company that deserve my trust.
Reply written about 4 years ago
I get your point.
But if your files are so important don't put it on the cloud, there is no web service, mobile app, or operating system that is 100% secure.
Reply written about 4 years ago
No, but there are services which are:
It's not a binary situation of trust the cloud or not. By all means use the cloud, but be smart and sceptical, and look at the reliability, reputation and transparency of a company before you trust them with things you value.
Reply written almost 4 years ago
John,
Just to say I mistakenly clicked the "not helpful" button, so +2 to your review!
Reply written over 3 years ago
I can only talk from my experience, and this is the fastest free cloud service I've ever used. Maybe all the disproportionately high level of "free" storage is a countermeasure for all that bad reputation.
Again, I use it and I'm very happy with it.
Reply written about 3 years ago
Sadly, MEGA no longer offers 50 GB of storage for new users. The base storage is now 15 GB, with a 35 GB sign-up bonus that expires after one month. You can also get extra space for installing their desktop and mobile apps, which expires after 180 days. Inviting people to register earns you 10 GB per user (they must install their desktop or mobile app, though), which expires after 365 days. Fortunately, old accounts are not affected by this, and they get to keep their 50 GB of storage.
More information can be found in this Reddit thread.
[Edited by Przemek32767, June 14]
Oooh that sucks. Luckily I did get 50 GB.
Reply written almost 2 years ago
Kim Dotcom and MEGA have gone their separate ways, TorrentFreak informed.
Source: https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-warns-mega-users-to-backup-their-files-160421/
I bought PRO, but upload speed terrible
this file uploading already 8 hours.
[Edited by iperov, April 15]