Torrent site BTJunkie shuts down
Voluntary closure seen as reaction to legal measures against Megaupload
Torrent website BTJunkie has closed down voluntarily in response to legal pressure on its contemporaries, after more than six years in operation.
Visitors to the site, which had boasted of being the biggest collection of torrents on the internet, are now greeted by a farewell message.
"This is the end of the line my friends. The decision does not come easy, but we've decided to voluntarily shut down. We've been fighting for years for your right to communicate, but it's time to move on. It's been an experience of a lifetime, we wish you all the best!"
Speaking to torrent news site BitTorrent Giant, BTJunkie's founder, who remained un-named, said that the decision to close was a direct result of seeing the legal action taken against other torrent sites like Megaupload and Pirate Bay.
However, he was upbeat about the future of other torrent sites continuing to ply their trade, telling BitTorrent Giant that he sees them persevering. "I really do hope so," he told the site, adding "the war is far from over for sure."
BTJunkie was screened from search results by Google, and had been reported as proliferating pirated material to the US Government, but no legal action was thought to be underway.
Last month, the FBI collaborated with New Zealand police to shut down Megaupload, arresting founder Kim Dotcom and several executives, freezing assets whilst suing for extradition to the US.