As Site Blocking Is Increasing, European Commission Subtly Slaps Down Italy’s Piracy Shield
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Italy’s “Piracy Shield”—a rapid content‑blocking platform operated by AGCOM—allows copyright holders to flag domains or IPs for suspected piracy, triggering mandatory ISP blocks within 30 minutes .
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Over time, the system has been expanded to include VPNs, public DNS services, and even search engine de‑indexing, prompting criticism about overreach and excessive technical burdens on infrastructure providers .
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The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and other tech voices raised alarms, pointing to broken transparency, weak safeguards, lack of judicial oversight, and risks to the EU single market and legitimate businesses .
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In a letter dated June 13, 2025, the European Commission, via DG Communications director Roberto Viola, acknowledged Italy’s anti‑piracy efforts but flagged key issues: measures may violate the Digital Services Act (DSA), may undermine fundamental rights like freedom of expression, and lack sufficient redress mechanisms for mistaken blocks .
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Specifically, the Commission noted the draft law fails to meet Article 9 requirements of the DSA, doesn’t allow prior judicial review, and limits corrections in cases of mistaken blocking to just 24 hours—insufficient to protect impacted parties .
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The letter called on Italian authorities to revise the draft legislation, strengthen procedural safeguards, increase transparency, and ensure compliance with EU law .
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The TechDirt analysis frames this as a public reprimand: a diplomatic but firm “slapdown” of Italy’s harsh site‑blocking regime amid broader EU concerns over censorship and civil liberties .
