Anonymous, the global hacking group, have threatened to bring down the XBox Live servers in retaliation for the FBI closing down the massively popular hosting site Megaupload, which was closed on January 19th due copyright infringement investigations. They’ve also threatened to bring down the UN, US Bank, Capital One, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. That’s one hell of a revenge list, but have Anonymous really considered the implications of pissing off millions of gamers who play shooters on a daily basis?

In case you weren’t aware, Megaupload is a Hong-Kong based site that offers incredibly easy to use online hosting for anybody that is also well know for being used for piracy, for obvious reasons.  The site was shut down by the U.S Justice Department who are investigating the site for copyright infringement and four of the sites owners have been arrested, having been accused of being part of a lucrative scheme to provide content online without compensation the copyright holders.. However it should be noted that uploading copyrighted material is a fault of the users and not the service provider, and as such it’s hard to see what legal basis they have for shutting down the site. Likewise Youtube cannot be held responsible for what its users upload.

Megaupload have already stated that they’re fighting back:

“The company is looking at its legal options for getting back its servers and its domain and getting its servers back up online,” Megaupload’s lawyer Ira Rothken told Reuters. “Megaupload will vigorously defend itself.”

It is really offensive to say that just because people can upload bad things, therefore Megaupload is automatically responsible,” he said.

It should be noted as well that Megauploads shutdown has nothing to do with SOPA, despite what seem people are claiming.

Whether Anonymous are doing the right thing is a point for debate. Their past is a mixed one, with some of their actions being just, some having good intentions but terrible outcomes and others being outright stupid. So which do you think this is? And do really have the ability to bring down Xbox Live?