Phin’s love for computers seemed almost predestined. As a child growing up among Florida’s lush landscapes and fishing docks, he was more often found tinkering with gadgets than casting a line. While his family earned their income from chartering fish trips, his true passion was at home with the gadgets and technology. From an early age, Phin was drawn to technology, tinkering with the family PC running Windows Vista and experimenting with the Garmin marine GPS systems that his family used.

During our conversation, Phin recalled some of his first experiences with new technology. “I think my first time interacting with mobile devices was when my dad, who at the time, also worked at Bass Pro Shops. They gave him the original iPad for work when it came out, and I was fascinated by it at the time.”

By 2021, Phin had already made a mark in the digital underground. He created Snivyhost, a simple PHP file host available only on Tor. “I’ve always been a large fan of Tor, I2P, and similar projects that aim to resist censorship,” Phin explained. This passion for privacy and resistance to censorship had been with him from a young age. “I’ve been a strong advocate for piracy and the likes ever since I was pretty young, like in the single-digit age range. I didn’t have philosophical or political ideologies in the single digits. My primary philosophical and political thoughts started exploring when I was around 11,” he said.

Phin’s political evolution is a journey in itself. He began with conservative leanings, valuing a balance between liberty and authority. However, his teenage years saw a radical shift. “When I was 14-16, I had a really retarded phase where I was very left wing, almost communist,” Phin admitted. It wasn’t until he was 16 that he truly understood his beliefs. “A lot of my libertarian beliefs were based on firsthand experiences. I have never liked when people wanted to interfere with me. I do my own thing, you do your thing. Not my problem at all.”

From Snivyhost to Filehaus

The evolution of Snivyhost into Filehaus marked a significant chapter in Phin’s journey. Initially, Filehaus ran off a VPS from a cheap Dutch provider, using software called Lolisafe. “That was back in like, 2022. In its current form, Filehaus began in May 2023 because I wanted to revive Snivyhost and make it better.”

While the concept of file hosting was not new, Filehaus was different. It had a simple, austere interface—no glitz and glamour promising blazing fast speeds, no spam or click-here advertisements. It offered a generous 200GB file size limit, almost unheard of, and it also allowed the ability to upload files as a torrent, another feature largely unheard of. It’s no wonder that it immediately became a popular file hosting choice.

Around this time, Phin also decided to stop hiding his opinions, despite the potential backlash. “My brain was almost rotting from Twitter back then in 2022. It was kind of insane.” Phin’s experiences with internet censorship solidified his resolve. “It was around the time #DropKiwiFarms was trending that inside, I really began to see how fucked up internet censorship was,” he said. This realization laid the foundation for many of his future services.

The first major boost for Filehaus came when Anonfiles shut down. Internal ViacomCBS and Paramount employees began using it to leak information. “Someone told me about them, and I was immediately highly respected because I said I want to help protect freedom of speech and will let them post their shit,” Phin recounted. However, he soon left the group for undisclosed reasons.

Another significant milestone was when a popular stream ripping site, DoubleDouble.top, chose Filehaus as their default file host. “Usage kind of blew up from there. Now I’m one of the most recommended file hosts, especially for anything controversial or piracy-related,” Phin noted.

Over time, Filehaus has matured into a prominent anonymous file-sharing platform. What started as a simple project has grown significantly, now serving tens to sometimes even hundreds of terabytes of data per day. This exponential growth is a testament to its reliability and the unique features it offers, making it a go-to site for users who value privacy and anonymity. Managing such a vast amount of data daily is no small feat, and it’s quite an achievement for a one-person operation. Phin’s dedication and hard work have transformed Filehaus into a cornerstone of the anonymous file-sharing community, proving that a single individual can make a significant impact in the fight for digital freedom.

Filehaus: Running on Passion and Pennies

Despite its popularity, Filehaus faced growing pains, particularly financial ones. “The most major growing pain is the monetary factor. I don’t get a lot of donations, and above all, I’m a poor college kid. A lot of the money I work for, I put back into my services because I want to keep them running,” Phin explained. Juggling his studies and work, Phin often found himself pouring his hard-earned money into maintaining Filehaus, driven by his commitment to digital freedom.

Filehaus gained further traction when Phin openly supported hosting breaches. “I immediately became a popular file hosting choice on BreachForums. Back when ShinyHunters was the owner, they used to sponsor me and they donated like 1000 dollars. Cool dude,” he said.

Phin has faced numerous attempts to dox him, but he remains unfazed. “People have tried faildoxxing me numerous times. It’s funny to watch. But I’ll allow them to do it,” he said with a shrug. Legal threats have also been met with defiance. “Every time someone’s tried to do some legal action type shit, I tell them to fuck off. My uncle is a very experienced criminal defense lawyer. We’ve got each other’s backs,” Phin said confidently.

Harassment campaigns and false accusations have also been part of Phin’s journey. “I wouldn’t call people doing ‘harassment campaigns’ against me ‘harassment campaigns,’ it’s more like people who just seethe at my opinions. I’ve had people who have falsely accused me of some horrible stuff because they disagree with me and want some clout, but they can fuck off,” he asserted.

Domain providers have posed challenges, but Phin has navigated these hurdles adeptly. “I’ve had lots of domain providers who’ve hassled me, but ever since I’ve had my servers at Calin’s, I’ve had barely any problems. Namecheap and Epik in particular have hassled me. 1984.is dropped my DNS and I moved to DNSPod. Haven’t had any problems since,” he explained. Even after Identity Digital seized his .haus domain, Phin managed to reclaim it, though he remains wary of setting it up again.

Phin’s real-life isolation contrasts sharply with his vibrant online presence. “I keep everything very separated. I’m kind of isolated in real life, I don’t like to talk to people in real life, and I have a small friend group, but that’s it,” he shared.

Phin’s journey from a Florida fisherman’s family to the frontlines of digital resistance is a testament to his resilience, passion, and unwavering belief in digital liberty. His story continues to unfold, driven by his relentless pursuit of privacy, freedom of speech, and resistance to censorship. As Filehaus grows, so does Phin’s influence in the fight for an open and uncensored internet, inspiring many who share his vision of a world where digital freedom prevails.