BloodHawkDarkWolf | 68 points | Dec 08 2016 15:32:23

Since the "Great MEGA crisis of 2016" (which was like a couple of days ago), people have started posting links to, well, pretty much whatever. Google drive, embedding links in images using steganography which require using 3rd party software to access, and posting links to 3rd party sites which require members to click through ads in order to access the link. I was told by one of the moderators that spam filters had been set up to prevent non-MEGA links, but that doesn't seem to be working.

I know, I know. The responses are going to be "But BloodHawkDarkWolf, we have to do this to keep the content from being taken down." You can do this, but you don't have to.

• The reason files and accounts were deleted was because they had copyrighted content, and that content was widely shared. MEGA used everything at their disposal: hashes, email addresses, IP addresses. There were sites that are the source for much of the content here that were using 3rd party link protectors that had their accounts deleted also. So, to be clear, lack of 3rd party websites is not the reason that accounts were deleted. To put it in the simplest terms possible: these things were deleted because they broke MEGAs terms of service, and since the files are stored on their computers and they know who accesses them and how often they're going to catch on eventually. The deletions didn't happen because of this subreddit, or what does or does not happen here. /r/megalinks is a tiny cog in a big machine.

• Other posts have been made since "The Great Bannening" without doing this that are working just fine. So this practice is optional, not necessary.

So the next question is "So what's your problem with doing this anyway, dude?" Well there's a few.

• It's against the rules of the subreddit. A lot of people don't know this but when this subreddit started to pick up some months ago there was a push to use 3rd party "link protector sites" due to the fact that people could "make money" this way. People were pushing for monetized links on 3rd party link protector sites, basically advertising these sites and suggesting people to sign up and add their debit cards so they could make money. At this time the subreddit rules didn't exist. There was some discussion, the rules were created, and the reason people were required to make direct mega links was to keep things simple and, more importantly, to make sure they were safe. That's when the decision was made to prohibit url shorteners and 3rd party sites due to the potential security risks, and to keep the sub organized instead of devolving into people promoting every file-sharing website on the internet.

• The other problem is that the most reliable way to get a virus on the internet is clicking on ads on obscure websites. Like what's going on now.

"If you're going to point out a problem shouldn't you suggest a solution too?" Here's my thoughts on it. I don't necessarily have a problem with using 3rd party websites to obscure links provided the following conditions are met.

• It's allowed by the rules. If the rules are going to be changed I think there should be a discussion by the community and the moderators, and there should be a consensus.

• The websites in question have been vetted by the community and the moderators to ensure they are not a security risk, i.e. risks of getting viruses/malware. I had brought this up before, but if we are to use 3rd party sites there should be a permitted list or whitelist of sites that are safe, and that information should be available in the rules on the sidebar. If we don't do this then inevitably people are going to post links to dodgy 3rd party sites just because they're trying to make money, and that's kind of shady.

I'd also like to point out again that there is a lot people can do to protect links against bots just by formatting their post differently, like breaking up urls and keys and posting them on different lines, or in the middle of a paragraph. You can also replace characters with random letters, or not provide the information at all and give people a hint like "The password is an animal that meows, all lowercase." People have skipped right past simple, effective steps that have zero risk in their rush to embrace nuclear options, and that's kind of hasty.

Lastly, I feel I'm obligated to mention that in the past posts discussing this particular topic have had a tendency to disappear. They will get deleted without warning or notice. Since this topic is relatively important, and deserves some discussion by the community at large I'd like to preemptively request that this post not be deleted.

I think this is one of the best subs on reddit and want it to be successful and safe for everyone. Thanks for reading and I look forward to everyones responses.

Edit: Alright then. Rule 1 no longer applies. Shake your moneymakers, guys. The sub has been monetized, the goal has been achieved. It's just like /r/fullmoviesonanything now.

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