- I2coalition published a new report to map the collateral damage of the DNS blocking and other Internet restrictions worldwide
- Some European governments and the United States are actively discussed the blocking of the infrastructure level as an antipyretary solution
- Experts urge the global community to help them document these incidents
Since stopping online dissent and illegal content to the violation of copyright and child security, governments around the world have increasingly resorted to blocking practices that are directed to the central infrastructure of the Internet to pursue their policy objectives. However, even when they unfold with the best intentions, these measures are not only believed to be ineffective, but also cause “unintended and deep” collateral damage.
This is the warning of a new report published by I2coalion (Internet Infrastructure Coalition). The group wants to shed light on what it describes as an “alarming trend” of the governments around the world Armando resolvers of DNS and even the best VPN services as application tools.
“This report is a call for attention,” said Christian Dawson, executive director of I2coalition. “DNS resolutions are neutral infrastructure, not censorship tools. When governments use them to enforce content policies, the result is to exalt, interruption and long -term damage on the open internet.”
From DNS to VPN block: how the authorities block Internet
As the report shows, Internet block tactics supply from DNS -based restrictions, IP level application and even the filter driven by AI. However, experts highlight DNS blocking as the most used mechanism.
Continuously, the domain name system, we can think of a DNS such as the Internet telephone guide. Translate user requests into numbers (IP addresses) to connect them with correct websites.
DNS servers are in the Internet infrastructure center, since they allow users to navigate the Internet. This is exactly the reason why these services have become an objective of censors such as Russia, Iran and China, first, and now, the rights holders or legislators behind children’s security policies.
Some European countries, including Italy, Spain and France, have used more and more infrastructure level blocking against pirated content or other harmful content. The United States is also debating a bill to use similar blocking methods against the violation of copyright.
The DNS blocking, however, is not only according to experts who ruin the Internet, but also ineffective. This is due to the fact that these blocks at the network only oscillate instead of eliminating the content, which remains online and accessible through other media.
Know?
After successful legal action against DNS services in 2024, on May 15, 2025, the Paris Judicial Court supported the request for Canal+and ordered five VPN suppliers: Nordvpn, Expressvpn, Surfshark, Proton VPN and Cyberghostt – block access to 203 domains linked to illegal sports transmission sites.
More and more Internet users have learned to use virtual private network tools, allowing users to falsify their IP addresses and avoid these restrictions. Therefore, the VPNs are becoming the next objective of the authorities.
Russian authorities have been particularly active in taking energetic measures against the use of VPN services. A law that was enforced in March 2024 to criminalize the spread of information on the ways of avoiding Internet restrictions, especially led to an escalation of the battle of Russia against the VPN, with many applications deleted from official application stores.
In Europe, rights holders in Italy and France have so far addressed to DNS and VPN suppliers within their fight against online piracy.
Once again, although motivations behind differ, involuntary consequences seem to be the same. As the I2coalition report points out: “These measures are implemented with too frequency without legal or technical precision, transparency or responsibility, which results in excess of blockage, fragmentation and collateral damage.”
In Italy, for example, the country’s piracy shield system caused generalized interruptions on other platforms such as Google Drive. Then, after the decision of Require that VPN and DNS suppliers block pirate content, a VPN supplier (ARIVPN) had already stopped accepting new Italian subscribers.
The report explores this and other examples of excessive fragmentation and the Internet in Europe (France, Spain, Austria and Portugal), together with studies of Cases of Russia, Malaysia, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Myanmar, Venezuela and even the United States.
“Global Internet depends on common protocols, trust and neutrality in the infrastructure layer,” Dawson said. “This initiative shines in the place where that is breaking, and what can we do about it.”
Dawson now urges the global community to “help retreat with evidence and clarity” by documenting these incidents. You can do this addressing the NSATRISK.org platform that the group has just created.
