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Cartmanishere | 451 points | Nov 08 2017 14:26:10

[META] Relaunch of megalinks mirror. | Megalinks MegaDB [META] Relaunch of megalinks mirror.


Many of you might not be aware, but I developed a site about a year ago to backup the content that gets posted here.

The site is megalinks.ml. I regularly posted mirror links for the content that is uploaded here to combat takedowns. But after a while I had to divert my attentions elsewhere and it has been sitting there like that since then.

So consider this a relaunch of the site.


What's New:

  1. All new host and domain. This site will be shutdown soon. Instead I have switched to the following -

    https://megalinks.cartmanishere.xyz

  2. All new interface for the site. A complete change in the way site looks and works.

  3. You might be familiar with my project of Account Dispenser where you could get free verified mega accounts ready for uploading. But it was later abandoned due to technical difficulties.

Well the good news is that I have included that feature into this site itself.

  1. I have made it easier for you to post your own mirror links on the site.
  2. All the links and users from previous site are already migrated to the new one.

Goals:

I would like to present my goals behind this new site. This subreddit is a treasure trove of interesting uploads. Not just for downloading content but also for discovering content.

But due to copyright takedowns, many of these amazing uploads are lost.

With that in mind, this site has always been about acting as a backup for this subreddit. The top posts whose links are eventually taken down can have a working mirror elsewhere.

I am also renewing my commitment to backup as many posts as I can.


How it works:

I'd like to present a brief description of how the site works.


Account Generator:


That's all.

If you have any questions or suggestion regarding the site, you can comment here or PM me.

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[-] vcdupper | 42 points | Nov 08 2017 14:37:59

Thank you for this again

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[-] achilles1515 | 20 points | Nov 08 2017 14:56:22

This is great. Definitely used the old site quite a few times.

-One thing that sucks about searching in this subreddit is the possibility of having to wade through multiple posts, decoding links and crap, only to find out there are no active links for what you were searching. Is there any way your site can, in the background, be checking if links are active and display an ACTIVE/DEAD tag of some sort? If one of the backup links on this site gets taken down, do you plan to remove the listing on your site? Can users report dead links?

-Any plans to make searching more robust? For example, searching "blazing saddles 1974" will not | Megalinks MegaDB not find the posting of "Blazing Saddles (1974)...". I also remember from your last site that you couldn't search on anything in the "description" of a post and could only search on the title, which was cumbersome when trying to find a specific resolution/encoding type/encoder that was only listed in the description.

-Is there any way we can donate via PayPal?

I am not home at the moment and can't check out the entirety of the site, so sorry if any of these questions have obvious answers.

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[-] Cartmanishere | 10 points | Nov 08 2017 15:14:30

Is there any way your site can, in the background, be checking if links are active and display an ACTIVE/DEAD tag of some sort?

When you open the details of any link. There is a tag that check if link is active or not in the background. It is only visible on desktop and not mobile.

Can users report dead links?

I will soon add that feature. There are many ideas that I haven't gotten around to yet. But this will certainly be added sometime later. Meanwhile, just report the link to me personally and I can delete it.

Any plans to make searching more robust?

Yes, there are. Like I said, I'm working on more features. This is also one of them.

Is there any way we can donate via PayPal?

Yes, there is. PM me if you're interested.

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[-] doot_doot_doot_doo | 7 points | Nov 08 2017 14:36:47

how are you backing up what gets posted here?

Are you importing over to new accounts?

Or are you downloading then re-upping.

I'm asking b/c it's been discussed that due to how they create hashes that in the cases where they dont just take down the offending account, but the offending file, everything in the import chain goes down.

Either way, appreciate your efforts and made use of the old version of your site

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[-] Cartmanishere | 18 points | Nov 08 2017 14:41:05

I'm importing to my account and then sharing a newly generated link.

This method only works to combat link takedowns but is useless when the actual content is deleted from their servers.

But unfortunately, downloading and then re-upping is frankly beyond my means.

From my observations, link takedowns are far more common than content takedowns. So it's useful to have mirror links even if they're just imports of another upload.

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[-] doot_doot_doot_doo | 5 points | Nov 08 2017 14:43:44

Agreed on all points there.

Thought I would ask in the off chance it was actually a down and re-up.

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[-] HA5HBANG | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 18:57:16

How are you combating the take-down of your re-posted links????? Are you polling them every so often to make sure they're up, and if down, generating new ones?

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[-] Cartmanishere | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 19:40:01

I do a routine check of all links in the database. And if a link fails, then I check if I still have the content backed up in some other place. If it is, then I mirror it and then replace original link with new link. If not, I just delete the post.

But you'd be surprised at the amount of links that are taken down from the site. It's way less than I had initially expected.

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[-] HA5HBANG | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 19:55:06

If you don't have a backup of the backup, then it's my opinion that your database is just increasing the chances of my uploads getting nuked (not disabled link, but removed content).

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[-] Cartmanishere | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 20:13:36

Mirroring your uploads neither increases nor decreases the chances of your uploads getting deleted from servers. As far as I'm aware, MEGA's policy is to delete the content when a copyright owner specifically requests for it.

This subreddit has a much much wider reach than my site. It's more likely for the owner to come across your upload through here than my site.

But if you're still concerned, I can just promise not to post your upload links publically. A personal backup will be enough.

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[-] HA5HBANG | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 20:16:35

I'm not barring you from sharing my content, lol. Do what you want with it. I want it to get into as many hands as possible :) .

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[-] Cartmanishere | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 20:28:41

I want it to get into as many hands as possible

Then we both want the same thing.

there's a reason why the sub has a rule about reposting links

Yes, I understand the reasoning behind the rules. And it makes sense. But the point I'm trying to make is that this sub attracts the attention of content reporters. That's why it's risky to simply import and post on the subreddit.

But that's not the case with the site. Since it has a much smaller reach than this subreddit, the chances of content being reported through there are much less than it just being reported from the subreddit. Like I said, it doesn't add any chance of your content taken down. It's about as likely as it ever was.

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[-] HA5HBANG | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 20:34:03

OK :)

Allow me to make one suggestion: your database needs a "Documentary" category :)

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[-] Cartmanishere | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 20:50:54

If the content for that category increases, then surely.

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[-] HA5HBANG | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 20:55:39

https://www.reddit.com/r/megalinks/search?q=DOCUMENTARY&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all

There is definitely more documentary content than there is Software, Books, Games, and Tutorials...

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[-] HA5HBANG | 1 points | Nov 08 2017 22:53:46

Are you planning to do the necessary work to keep your backup accounts alive beyond 3 months, or whatever the timeframe is after which MEGA shuts down inactive accts?

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[-] Cartmanishere | 1 points | Nov 09 2017 03:57:03

I don't exactly know what the criteria for being inactive is but I also routinely login into all accounts and perform some operation once a month just so I would not be considered inactive.

For now, none of my accounts have been disabled due to being inactive. So I guess it must be working.

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[-] nofaceD3 | 5 points | Nov 08 2017 15:57:58

Why do I need to signup to view links?

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[-] Cartmanishere | 8 points | Nov 08 2017 16:14:44

To make it harder for bots to view the links.

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[-] neckbeardgamers | 5 points | Nov 08 2017 16:59:21

Why? /r/megalinks links don't last long enough anyway so why would they need to be mirrored. I don't understand the purpose.

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[-] Cartmanishere | 6 points | Nov 08 2017 17:17:18

I'm not sure what you mean. Maybe if links on /r/megalinks don't last long, that's why it is important to mirror them.

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[-] neckbeardgamers | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 17:28:23

I thought you were just reposting links...

Okay I sort of understand what you are doing:

https://www.reddit.com/r/megalinks/comments/7blmf9/meta_relaunch_of_megalinks_mirror/dpivtfu/

You are importing links shared here to your megalinks account and sharing new links associated with your account which works on takedowns, but not when content is deleted. I will try your site when I encounter a link that is down. But I think your accounts will quickly get flagged if you mirror even a small fraction of the content posted here in that fashion.

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[-] Cartmanishere | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 18:03:16

But I think your accounts will quickly get flagged if you mirror even a small fraction of the content posted here in that fashion.

Hasn't happened yet. Let's hope it keeps that way.

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[-] JulianCatablancas | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 15:28:39

Thank you :)

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[-] silvercloudv2 | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 15:31:26

You are the bomb ily

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[-] Like50Wizards | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 19:22:10

I fail to see a need to sign up? Any reason why that's a thing?

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[-] akhil609 | 4 points | Nov 08 2017 19:39:12

to prevent bots

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[-] Cartmanishere | 4 points | Nov 08 2017 19:41:32

To make it harder for automated bots to view them.

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[-] Like50Wizards | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 19:42:23

Only reason I'd want a site like this. Guess ill look for RSS feeds, Reddit has RSS feeds for subreddits right?

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[-] Cartmanishere | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 19:46:22

:)

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[-] Like50Wizards | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 20:01:17

Oh

Thanks :D

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[-] 4vf3g | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 22:33:43

Nice job, but you need to give credit to r/megalinks uploaders that work their butts off for us. I know bo_burnem didn't upload that content, it was /iPhunwa2, /ecchh, etc...

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[-] Cartmanishere | 4 points | Nov 09 2017 04:22:31

I am aware of that. I used to do this initially. But it just added extra work for me and I didn't really think it would bother anyone.

If you are posting links yourself, I welcome you to follow this convention.

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[-] 4vf3g | 0 points | Nov 09 2017 05:03:46

If you don't want to give people credit, that's your sleazy decision, but the way it's set up now, you do give credit to the person submitting the link (often you). So you in fact can see the value of giving credit, you just have no clue that it need to go to the person who did all the work. I don't upload, and even I can understand that.

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[-] Cartmanishere | 6 points | Nov 09 2017 07:46:01

I honestly didn't think it would bother anyone. As an uploader, it wouldn't bother me.

And on the site, it's just a way for me to keep track of posts. In case the links get taken down. I've never thought about it in terms of credit.

But if any of the uploaders are bothered by this, I'm willing to take appropriate measures to fix it.

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[-] 4vf3g | 0 points | Nov 10 2017 01:13:22

Uploaders are supposed to come to you to ask for credit!!!??!

That's the DEFAULT position.

Again, I reiterate: you ARE crediting someone, the person submitting the link (often yourself). So you KNOW about attribution. You just choose to do it incorrectly.

 

The default position should always be integrity not sleaziness.

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[-] Cartmanishere | 2 points | Nov 10 2017 15:45:46

Uploaders are supposed to come to you to ask for credit!!!??!

That's not what I said at all.

I'm saying if the uploader community feels disenfranchised by my "sleaziness" then I will take measures so that they feel content again.

So far, you're the only complaining about this. And by your own words, you don't even count as an uploader.

So only thing more I can say to you is -

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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[-] 4vf3g | 2 points | Nov 10 2017 17:09:32

I'm the only one dumb enough to waste my time trying to explain this to you. Don't mistake the community's silence for tacit agreement. If this is all you can say:

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

...then I say, way to double down on your ignorance. Apparently, your sleaziness knows no bounds.

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[-] juditasdude | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 17:30:33

Thanks a lot for this! will definitely look into it, looks great. I'm sorry but I don't quite understand point 3, the Account dispenser project. what are thos accounts? for downloading like if it where a paid preimium account? sorry for the noob question thanks!

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[-] Cartmanishere | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 18:06:25

Normally you would need to go to mega homepage and signup using your email to upload or import any of the files. Account generator does all that for you and gives you a free 50GB account so that you can just login and use it for downloading, importing and uploading.

You don't have to worry about email verification. You also don't have to worry about storage space limits since you can always make a new account.

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[-] juditasdude | 1 points | Nov 09 2017 13:52:27

Thanks a lot for that explanation!

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[-] HA5HBANG | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 20:31:11

I get this error when using the PIA browser extension with "disable website referrer" enabled:

Forbidden (403)
CSRF verification failed. Request aborted.
You are seeing this message because this HTTPS site requires a 'Referer header' to be sent by your Web browser, but none was sent. This header is required for security reasons, to ensure that your browser is not being hijacked by third parties.
If you have configured your browser to disable 'Referer' headers, please re-enable them, at least for this site, or for HTTPS connections, or for 'same-origin' requests.
More information is available with DEBUG=True.

Why do you want me to enable referer headers?

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[-] Cartmanishere | 0 points | Nov 08 2017 20:38:22

"disable website referrer" enabled

I guess you know the cause yourself. The site as it is doesn't work without a 'Referer Header'. It's nothing that I have control over, it's part of the framework I used for development.

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[-] HA5HBANG | 2 points | Nov 08 2017 20:45:01

I wasn't asking for an explanation of the error, but if you have no control over the backend, then I understand :)

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[-] Cartmanishere | 1 points | Nov 08 2017 20:49:28

I'm actually using Django as a development framework. Their CSRF is intentionally strict. There's nothing that can be done by me.

https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/16870

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[-] hashtagpow | 1 points | Nov 08 2017 20:25:10

nice! makes it SUPER easy to search through tv shows. i feel like i need to always have dozens and dozens of GBs of tv shows on my tablet at all times and since finding this sub i've probably downloaded 200GB of tv shows (and comics, which is something else i need my tablet/phone filled with). i was hoping for a long dead year old link to gilligan's island was there, but nothing showed when i searched. regardless of that, though, this is a cool idea.

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[-] Cartmanishere | 3 points | Nov 08 2017 20:44:37

Just because it wasn't on the site, doesn't mean I don't have a backup of it tucked away somewhere. ;)

Here you go. And also added to the site.

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[-] hashtagpow | 1 points | Nov 08 2017 20:57:34

oh my god THANK YOU <3

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[-] red_storm_risen | 1 points | Nov 08 2017 21:51:05

Awesomesauce, boss.

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[-] SourceDetective | 1 points | Nov 08 2017 22:43:56

I feel like i've seen that username on PHD. Do you have an account there? :p

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[-] Cartmanishere | 1 points | Nov 09 2017 04:15:43

No, I'm not on there.

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[-] SourceDetective | 1 points | Nov 09 2017 04:32:39

Oh ok. Thanks for replying!

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[-] Max0045 | 1 points | Nov 09 2017 06:06:08

You are the right guy.!!! thank you!

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[-] DrShlomo | 1 points | Nov 09 2017 12:03:05

/u/Cartmanishere you're an absolute champ - thanks for everything you're doing for this community!

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[-] sxeros | 1 points | Nov 09 2017 15:37:45

Great site, a couple of improvements which I think would work.

Have a link checker which checks if the file still online, if a link is down it is flagged by a user who then can re-upload the link to that post similar to what you see in comments on many boards.

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[-] Cartmanishere | 1 points | Nov 09 2017 17:33:46

When you view the details of a link, it checks if the link is active or dead and shows the result on that page.

And I'm working on a feature where users can report a link to be dead which can then be updated with live link or removed.

Thank you for your suggestions. And I'm glad you liked the site. Cheers.

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[-] tonyd9 | 1 points | Nov 10 2017 11:16:18

Can we bypass the 5gb transfer quota with this?

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[-] [deleted] | 2 points | Nov 10 2017 20:21:02

[deleted]

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[-] tonyd9 | 1 points | Nov 11 2017 12:09:48

Oh alright thanks

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[-] motominator | 1 points | Nov 25 2017 10:54:43

It would be great if the new site have a section for collecting requests for content.

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[-] Cartmanishere | 1 points | Nov 25 2017 15:52:42

I thought about it. But it doesn't really work that way. If you ( or anyone ) else has a request, it would be more quickly fulfilled if posted in the requests thread on the subreddit. It would be pointless for me to collect requests on the site.

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[-] motominator | 1 points | Nov 26 2017 06:02:06

Well then if uploaders track the requests on this subreddit regularly, then that solves the purpose anyway.

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