- Proton VPN Free recorded a 2,500% increase in signups in Spain
- The increase coincides with the new IP blocks promoted by LaLiga to combat illegal streaming
- The blockage also affected legitimate services, with users turning to VPNs to restore access.
A dramatic increase in new users for one of the best VPN providers has highlighted the growing battle for internet freedom in Spain.
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The massive influx of users is a direct response to a government-backed policy. crackdown on illegal streaming, largely driven by the country’s main soccer league, LaLiga.
Spanish courts have given LaLiga the power to order Internet service providers (ISPs) to block IP addresses and services suspected of facilitating piracy. However, the aggressive nature of these blocks is causing significant collateral damage, affecting legitimate Internet users and services.
Thousands of Spaniards are now using privacy tools like Proton VPN to avoid blocks and regain access to the open Internet. Proton’s safe and free service has become a popular option for those affected by the new restrictions.
TechRadar has reached out to Proton for further comment on the situation, but we are still awaiting a response at the time of publication.
Spain’s harsh IP blocking
The crux of the matter arises from the dynamic and broad nature of the new blocking orders.
In its effort to crack down on the unauthorized streaming of football matches, LaLiga has focused not only on specific pirate sites, but also on the underlying infrastructure they use. This has included forcing ISPs to block dynamic DNS providers, such as the popular No-IP service.
As reported by TorrentFreak, these measures mean that any website or service that uses the targeted infrastructure becomes inaccessible to the majority of the Spanish population.
Cloudflare is being blocked across Spain, leaving many unable to access game servers (i.e. the Blue Protocol), streaming services, and many other parts of the Internet. As a result, the graph below shows a brief 200% increase in free Proton VPN signups originating from Spain. pic.twitter.com/wN6MG2o4YWOctober 22, 2025
Dynamic DNS is a legitimate tool used by countless individuals and small businesses for everything from remote access to home computers to hosting personal websites. By blocking the entire service, anti-piracy measures effectively throw the baby out with the bathwater, restricting access to a wide range of legal content and services.
This is the latest chapter in an ongoing fight over how best to handle online piracy, with tech companies such as Cloudflare previously embroiled in disputes over blocking measures in both Spain and the UK.
Experts have repeatedly warned against using core Internet infrastructure, such as DNS resolvers, as a censorship tool, arguing that it sets a dangerous precedent and leads to the kind of excessive blocking now seen in Spain.
How a VPN restores access
For Spanish users who suddenly find their Internet access restricted, a The virtual private network (VPN) offers an immediate and effective solution. A VPN works by encrypting a user’s Internet connection and routing it through a secure server in a different geographic location.
When connecting to a Proton VPN server (or any other VPN server) located in another country, Spanish users get a different IP address and encrypted traffic. This helps them bypass local ISP blocks and access restricted websites.
With increasing online controls, VPNs have become vital to digital freedom. The increase in Proton VPN usage in Spain shows how strongly people want to bypass censorship and keep the Internet open.