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

Google has called on the European Commission to abandon the widespread practice of blocking IP addresses, DNS services and VPNs as a means of combating pirate sites, describing the approach as both ineffective and risky. The company explained that such blocks fail to remove illegal content permanently and allow users to quickly switch to alternative DNS providers, VPNs or new addresses, enabling piracy to continue uninterrupted. Blocking entire IP ranges is particularly problematic because a single address or range is often shared by multiple unrelated legitimate websites and cloud services, leading to collateral damage for lawful users. Google cited the December 2019 incident in Portugal, where ISP blocks on virtual IP addresses disrupted important Google services and affected Google Cloud customers sharing the same infrastructure. A similar outcome followed the blocking of The Pirate Bay in the United Kingdom, after which lists of proxy servers rapidly appeared online to restore access. The search giant stressed that these measures only create temporary obstacles rather than eliminating the source of pirated material and increase the chance of accidentally disabling legitimate online resources.

securitylab_nJuly 15, 2026Translated from Russian

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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.

Google European Commission Google Cloud Pirate Bay Portugal United Kingdom

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