EU-Backed DNS Resolver Collects Pirate Site Blocklist, Which It Doesn't Use
5 hours ago
- #DNS Blocking
- #Digital Copyright
- #Piracy Enforcement
- BREIN shut down 50 IPTV/VOD subscription vendors and 42 streaming sites, and stopped 673 pirate site proxies and mirrors in its recent operations.
- The Dutch anti-piracy group updated its blocklist to cover 303 unique domains, 13 platforms, and 8 IP addresses by the end of 2025, using dynamic blocking with ISP agreements and court orders.
- BREIN shared its blocklist data with DNS4EU, a European DNS resolver, expecting it to be used for blocking pirate sites, but DNS4EU has not implemented voluntary blocks for copyrighted content.
- DNS4EU, co-funded by the EU and operated by Whalebone, is designed to filter illegal content under legal requirements, but its transparency report shows zero blocks for copyright infringement as of late 2025.
- Despite reaching out to BREIN for the blocklist and expressing interest in similar data from other countries, DNS4EU clarified it will not use BREIN's data, as BREIN is not a governmental regulatory body.