Google Urges European Commission to Stop Mass Blocking of IP Addresses, DNS Services and VPNs in Piracy Fight

Google has urged the European Commission to abandon the mass blocking of IP addresses, DNS services and VPNs as a tool against pirate websites, calling the practice ineffective and potentially harmful.

The company argued that such restrictions do not permanently remove illegal content or prevent access to it. After a block is implemented, users can simply switch to another DNS provider, a VPN service or an alternative address, allowing the distribution of pirated material to continue.

Particularly serious side effects arise when IP addresses are blocked. A single address or range is frequently shared by multiple independent websites and cloud services. As a result, legitimate resources and their customers lose access alongside the targeted infringer.

Google highlighted the December 2019 disruptions in Portugal. Local internet providers blocked virtual IP addresses on the company’s infrastructure, causing important Google services to stop working and harming traffic for Google Cloud clients that used the same addresses.

A comparable issue occurred after the blocking of The Pirate Bay in the United Kingdom. Lists of proxy servers quickly appeared online, restoring access to the platform. According to Google, these limitations do not eliminate the source of pirated content; they merely create temporary barriers while raising the risk of accidental blocking of lawful services.