Cloudflare Refuses to Comply with Italy's Piracy Shield Law, Fines Hiked to $14.2 Million
In a move that has left many in the tech industry on edge, Cloudflare, the popular cloud computing platform and DNS service provider, has refused to comply with Italy's notorious Piracy Shield law. The law, which aims to curb piracy by blocking access to websites hosting pirated content, has been criticized for its broad powers and lack of due process.
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince took to Twitter to express his company's stance on the matter. "Yesterday a quasi-judicial body in Italy fined Cloudflare $17 million for failing to go along with their scheme to censor the Internet," he wrote. "The scheme, which even the EU has called concerning, required us within a mere 30 minutes of notification to fully censor from the Internet any sites a shadowy cabal of European media elites deemed against their interests."
Prince went on to say that Cloudflare will fight the fine and may take drastic measures, including discontinuing its pro bono cybersecurity services for Italian users, removing servers from Italian cities, and terminating plans to build an Italian office. He also hinted at possible action against Google, which has faced similar criticism under the Piracy Shield law.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a trade group that represents tech companies including Cloudflare and Google, has criticized the Piracy Shield law for its potential to overblock legitimate online services. "Italian authorities have included virtual private networks (VPN) and public DNS resolvers in the Piracy Shield, which are services fundamental to the protection of free expression," the CCIA said.
The issue highlights concerns about the balance between copyright protection and online freedom of expression. The EU has called the Piracy Shield law "concerning" and has expressed worries about its potential impact on legitimate online services.
In a broader context, the Piracy Shield law is part of a growing trend of governments seeking to regulate online content through DNS filtering and blocking. While aimed at tackling piracy and copyright infringement, such laws have raised questions about their effectiveness and the potential for abuse.
As the debate rages on, Cloudflare's stance has sent shockwaves through the tech industry, with many calling for greater transparency and due process in the regulation of online content.
In a move that has left many in the tech industry on edge, Cloudflare, the popular cloud computing platform and DNS service provider, has refused to comply with Italy's notorious Piracy Shield law. The law, which aims to curb piracy by blocking access to websites hosting pirated content, has been criticized for its broad powers and lack of due process.
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince took to Twitter to express his company's stance on the matter. "Yesterday a quasi-judicial body in Italy fined Cloudflare $17 million for failing to go along with their scheme to censor the Internet," he wrote. "The scheme, which even the EU has called concerning, required us within a mere 30 minutes of notification to fully censor from the Internet any sites a shadowy cabal of European media elites deemed against their interests."
Prince went on to say that Cloudflare will fight the fine and may take drastic measures, including discontinuing its pro bono cybersecurity services for Italian users, removing servers from Italian cities, and terminating plans to build an Italian office. He also hinted at possible action against Google, which has faced similar criticism under the Piracy Shield law.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a trade group that represents tech companies including Cloudflare and Google, has criticized the Piracy Shield law for its potential to overblock legitimate online services. "Italian authorities have included virtual private networks (VPN) and public DNS resolvers in the Piracy Shield, which are services fundamental to the protection of free expression," the CCIA said.
The issue highlights concerns about the balance between copyright protection and online freedom of expression. The EU has called the Piracy Shield law "concerning" and has expressed worries about its potential impact on legitimate online services.
In a broader context, the Piracy Shield law is part of a growing trend of governments seeking to regulate online content through DNS filtering and blocking. While aimed at tackling piracy and copyright infringement, such laws have raised questions about their effectiveness and the potential for abuse.
As the debate rages on, Cloudflare's stance has sent shockwaves through the tech industry, with many calling for greater transparency and due process in the regulation of online content.
I don't think Italy's Piracy Shield law is fair at all... Like what's the point of censoring entire websites just because some people are using them to pirate stuff? 
It's not like it's going to stop piracy or anything, and it's basically gonna stifle free speech online too. 
And $14.2 million fine is kinda harsh, if you ask me... I mean, Cloudflare was trying to do the right thing by refusing to comply with a law they didn't think was fair. 
this whole thing is so messed up... I mean, what even is the point of these laws? They're just going to end up censoring legit websites and stifling free speech 
. Cloudflare's not budging on this though, and honestly, can't say I blame 'em 
. It's crazy that a company like Google, which is basically a giant corporation, gets to be the poster child for "concerns" about these laws 
. Meanwhile, Italy's just being super aggressive with their fines, it's not even funny anymore 
. I get why they're doing this, though - I mean, who wants their internet freedom taken away just because some people don't like certain websites 
? And honestly, can we even trust these laws in the first place? Like, what's to stop them from getting abused and stuff? 
. I'm definitely keeping an eye on this one 
.
. the EU's concerns about it being "concerning" are definitely valid tho. we need to be careful about governments regulating online content and ensuring they don't stifle free expression 
, and Cloudflare has every right to refuse to comply with it 
. I mean, if the EU is already calling it "concerning" 
. The tech industry needs to keep pushing back against these kinds of laws 
. But honestly, I think this whole situation highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in online regulation 
. We can't just let governments and quasi-judicial bodies make decisions without checks and balances 
.
like who wants to censor websites just because some shadowy media elites say so? the EU is right, this law is concerning and it's all about finding a balance between copyright protection and online freedom of expression 
. We need to make sure our rights are protected, not just by governments, but also by companies like Cloudflare 
.
i mean, cant we just have our own freedom online without governments tryin 2 censor us? its not like theyre tryna stop ppl from watchin copyrighted vids or anythin... but noooo, they gotta go & block every single site thats even remotely suspicious lol what's next? 
the EU is callin it "concerning" and i'm over here thinkin "yaaas please, more censorship" just kidding (kinda)... seriously tho, cloudflare is right 2 stand up 4 their values & online freedom... 
...can't they just talk it out or something? 
i'm worried about the whole online freedom of expression thing, but at the same time, i get why they wanna protect their users from all that pirated junk 
...anyway, gotta watch this one unfold and see what happens next 