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Facing Extradition, Megaupload's Kim Dotcom Hosts Pool Party

Looks like somebody's not letting a little something called house arrest get him down.

June 26, 2012

Looks like somebody's not letting a little something called house arrest get him down.

Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom, who is wanted by U.S. authorities on a slew of copyright infringement and fraud charges, over the weekend invited a Twitter follower to his New Zealand mansion for a pool party. It all started when Dotcom posted a photo on Saturday of his "alleged co-conspirators" driving around his estate on motorbikes. Twitter user Ben Gracewood asked Dotcom if he spends all day driving around and posing for photos, adding "I could live like that."

Dotcom replied "Come over now!"

Gracewood, Dotcom, and several others spent the rest of the afternoon splashing around in the pool, eating, drinking, and — of cource — live tweeting using the hashtag #swimatkims. Gracewood later posted on his website about the "completely surreal" experience of hanging out with Dotcom and his fellow indicted Internet millionaires.

"We talked about all the things you'd expect — the heavy-handedness of the original raid, how they coped for months without Internet ("it was really boring"), and their prospects for the future," Gracewood wrote. "They are confident nothing will come of the charges, but are keen to defend themselves legally to whatever degree they need to."

If you're bummed out you didn't get an invite, not to worry. Dotcom tweeted on Sunday that "#swimatkims will return for everybody. Need a big public pool. Awesome DJ. Sound & lights. Who's in?"

Earlier this week, Dotcom's lawyer quipped on Twitter that he needs a drink before reading his client's Twitter feed.

Dotcom, whose file-sharing site was shut down in January, is under house arrest in his mansion in the Albany suburb of Auckland, awaiting possible extradition by the U.S. After joining Twitter last Saturday and posting just 154 tweets so far, Dotcom has already garnered more than 38,000 followers. Dotcom, meanwhile only follows one person – President Obama.

Meanwhile, Dotcom in New Zealand last month. Dotcom tweeted a very chummy photo of himself and Woz.

Dotcom also last week announced plans to launch a new music site called Megabox. Billed as a rival to Apple's iTunes, Megabox will let artists sell their music directly and keep 90 percent of the revenue, according to Dotcom.

"The major Record Labels thought Megabox is dead. Artists rejoice. It is coming and it will unchain you," he tweeted earlier this week.

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