EU copyright overhaul risks forcing VPNs to police the internet here's what we know

Date:
Wed, 28 Oct 2026 16:22:01 +0000

Description:
A tech industry group warns the EU's upcoming Copyright Package could force VPNs to filter user traffic, undermining the privacy they exist to protect.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The European Commission is considering EU-wide anti-piracy blocking orders as part of a Copyright
Package due in 2027. A tech industry group warns this could force VPN providers to inspect and filter their users' traffic. France and Spain
already make VPNs block pirate sites, and the results so far have been messy. Europe's next big copyright shake-up could change how your VPN works behind the scenes, even if you never go near a pirate stream.

The European Commission is weighing an EU-wide system of anti-piracy injunctions that would require providers to block access to websites and servers hosting infringing content. According to the Disruptive Competition Project (DisCo), a blog run by tech industry body CCIA, that system could sweep in VPN providers, including the services on our best VPN list.

The group argues this would turn privacy tools into internet watchdogs. The plans remain on the table for the Commission's Copyright Package, which is expected in the second quarter of 2027. From privacy tool to traffic filter VPNs are built to be neutral. They route and encrypt your traffic without monitoring or controlling what you access, and they don't host any content themselves. You may like EU study proposes 30-minute takedown of illegal streams, and your VPN is in the crosshairs LaLiga demands major VPNs be
placed on the EUs piracy watch list US bill threatens to turn your VPN into a piracy blocklist

DisCo points out that blocking orders wouldn't break a VPN's encryption. However, enforcing them would require providers to check traffic against blocklists, such as destination IP addresses or DNS requests.

That shifts VPNs from passive conduits to active filters. And since the infringing content stays online, pirates can simply move to new domains or routes. Europe has already tested VPN blocking Several countries are already ahead of Brussels. In 2025, a Paris court ordered five major VPNs to block more than 200 illegal sports streaming sites, while Italy moved to extend its Piracy Shield system to VPN and DNS providers.

In Spain, a Crdoba court ordered NordVPN and Proton VPN to block IP addresses tied to illegal LaLiga streams in February.

The same court later refused to fine NordVPN for not complying. LaLiga has since asked the Commission to add NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark to its piracy watch list. What to read next EU introduces strict
new security rules for VPNs with the help of industry giants VPNs dodge a bullet New US piracy bill targets ISPs but leaves VPNs alone Digital rights advocates urge EU to step in and save encryption from Canada's Bill C-22

DisCo highlights the irony: Spain's national cybersecurity institute, INCIBE, actively recommends VPNs to citizens as a way to protect their personal data. What it means for VPN users In July, the EU's top court ruled that VPNs are lawful technical tools and that providers aren't liable when users bypass geoblocking. That ruling dealt with liability, though, not blocking orders,
so it doesn't stop an EU-wide injunction system from pulling VPNs in.

If that happens, the most obvious change is that some sites could become unreachable through your VPN. Overblocking is the bigger worry. IP blocking
is a blunt tool, and LaLiga's campaign in Spain has already knocked hundreds of thousands of legitimate domains offline.

There's a privacy cost, too. Even light-touch rules to monitor, filter, or retain traffic would weaken the protections that private VPNs are built to offer.

For now, nothing is final. The Commission hasn't published its proposal, so the real test will come when the Copyright Package lands next year.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/eu-copyright-overhaul-risks -forcing-vpns-to-police-the-internet-heres-what-we-know


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