Earlier today we reported how RapidShare is throttling accounts of free users to drive away pirates.

Now, just a few hours later, the popular file-hosting service is entirely unavailable for users without a premium account.

All download links go to a ” 404 Not Found” page instead (example).

For paying users the service works normally.

At this point it’s unclear whether the message is intentional or a technical glitch.

TorrentFreak contacted RapidShare and we will update this post when a response comes in.

Update: Rapidshare explains that the 404s were not intentional. “This error is due to a website update and therefore not intentional. RapidShare is working on a solution so that these “false” links should work again soon,” a spokesperson said.