In late 2022 and 2023, MEGA introduced a feature allowing users to generate "decryption keys" for sharing. More critically, they began using —a system that compares file hashes against a database of known illegal material before the file is uploaded. While not a backdoor, this was seen by privacy purists as a betrayal of the original "zero-knowledge" ethos. News outlets like TechCrunch and The Register covered this as a necessary compromise to stay on app stores and avoid being banned by Apple and Google.
: While MEGA maintains its "Privacy by Design" stance, independent researchers (such as those from ETH Zurich) have historically identified potential vulnerabilities in its implementation of cryptography that could, in theoretical scenarios, compromise file confidentiality [1]. mega nz news
: All data is encrypted on the user's device before being uploaded; MEGA claims they never have access to the decryption keys or the user's password [5, 13]. In late 2022 and 2023, MEGA introduced a