Market News - AntiPiracy

Italy’s Piracy Shield sparks EU scrutiny over digital rights

Italy’s anti-piracy framework, known as Piracy Shield—launched in February 2024—enables authorities to command ISPs, DNS providers, and VPN services to block suspected piracy sites within 30 minutes of a rights-holder request  .

 

While lauded by sports rights-holders for curbing live-stream piracy, the EU Commission has flagged serious concerns under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Open Internet rules  . Specifically, regulators are worried about overblocking—even legitimate services like Google and YouTube have been unintentionally disrupted  .

 

The procedure bypasses judicial review or transparency, raising alarms around due process, freedom of expression, and information rights, as protected by the EU Charter  . Furthermore, delegation of enforcement to a private entity—SP Tech, tied to Lega Serie A—has sparked conflict-of-interest criticisms  .

 

Privacy advocates also highlight that forcing VPN blocking undermines user privacy and may have “sweeping consequences,” evidenced by providers like AirVPN halting service to Italian users  .

 

In sum, the EU is scrutinizing Piracy Shield for its rapid blocking powers, lack of oversight, transparency shortcomings, and potential mass privacy intrusions, urging Italy to align the system with EU digital safeguards  .

View the original full article here: https://dig.watch/updates/italys-piracy-shield-sparks-eu-scrutiny-over-digital-rights

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