Kim Dotcom Links WikiLeaks Donation to Megaupload Raid

Nearly two years after Megaupload was raided, Kim Dotcom’s life is now available in book form. “The Secret Life of Kim Dotcom – Spies, Lies and the War for the Internet” reveals many details on Dotcom’s personal life and how he developed into the man he is today. With permission from the publisher TorrentFreak today publishes two excerpts from the book, with Dotcom linking his €20,000 Wikileaks donation to the Megaupload raid and details on the entertainment industry’s backroom skirmishes with the site.

Few people would disagree that Kim Dotcom is a fascinating man. After his file-sharing service Megaupload was raided early 2012, Kim Dotcom became an instant Internet celebrity.

The success and controversy surrounding Megaupload as well as Dotcom’s personal life in the years leading up to the raid are now detailed in a biography.

Written by David Fisher, “The Secret Life of Kim Dotcom – Spies, Lies and the War for the Internet” reveals intimate family details, but it also provides additional details on Dotcom’s perception of the Megaupload raid, and how the entertainment industry dealt with the site before it was taken down.

Some of these details are being published for the first time, including Kim Dotcom’s suspicions that his support for Wikileaks was one of the main reasons for the U.S. Government to go after him.

In the book Dotcom explains that he donated €20,000 to Wikileaks after the Collateral Murder video came out early 2010. It’s a controversial allegation, but Dotcom believes that it is no coincidence that the prosecutor who investigated Julian Assange was also appointed to the Megaupload case.

The passage below is taken directly from the book, with permission from the publisher.

—

 

The Wikileaks Connection 

Dotcom believes one of the reasons he was targeted was his support for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. He says he was compelled to reach out to the site after US soldier Bradley Manning leaked documents to it. The infamous video recording of the Apache gunship gunning down a group of Iraqis (some of whom, despite widespread belief to the contrary, were later revealed to have been armed), including two Reuters journalists, was the trigger.

“Wow, this is really crazy,” Dotcom recalls thinking, watching the black-and-white footage and hearing the operators of the helicopter chat about firing on the group. He made a €20,000 donation to Wikileaks through Megaupload’s UK account. “That was one of the largest donations they got,” he says. According to Dotcom, the US, at the time, was monitoring Wikileaks and trying better to understand its support base. “My name must have popped right up.”

The combination of a leaking culture and a website dedicated to producing leaked material would horrify the US government, he says. A willing leaker and a platform on which to do it was “their biggest enemy and their biggest fear . . . If you are in a corrupt government and you know how much fishy stuff is going on in the background, to you, that is the biggest threat — to have a site where people can anonymously submit documents.”

Neil MacBride was appointed to the Wikileaks case, meaning Dotcom shares prosecutors with Assange. “I think the Wikileaks connection got me on the radar.”

Dotcom believes the US was most scared of the threat of inspiration Wikileaks posed. He also believes it shows just how many secrets the US has hidden from the public and the rest of the world. “That’s why they are going after that so hard. Only a full transparent government will have no corruption and no back door deals or secret organisations or secret agreements. The US is the complete opposite of that. It is really difficult to get any information in the US, so whistleblowing is the one way you can get to information and provide information to the public.”

—

The book doesn’t offer more details to substantiate Dotcom’s claims, but it’s clear that the New Zealand entrepreneur sees Megaupload’s takedown as more than just “a favor” to Hollywood and the major record labels.

In addition to the Wikileaks angle the book also describes tense pre-raid relationships between Megaupload and various copyright holders. As Dotcom previously told TorrentFreak, several players in the entertainment industry, including Disney, were eager to partner with the file-sharing empire.

Read more at TorrentFreak