Sites broadcasting matches in streaming or via IPTV without authorization are in the sights of justice. In 2024, more than 400 of them were blocked in France. The company Cloudflare, forced to apply these restrictions, however refuses to go further.
The piracy of sporting events takes many forms. Illegal streaming allows you to watch live matches without paying, while illegal IPTV offers low-cost subscriptions to access hundreds of channels that are normally paid for. These practices represent a significant loss of revenue for broadcasters, who are seeking to have them banned. In France, the justice system is making numerous decisions to block these platforms.
Cloudflare, an American company specializing in website optimization and security, has had to comply with these legal requests. In its latest transparency report, it reveals that it has blocked 402 sites related to illegal streaming and IPTV in France in 2024. This blocking only concerns its content delivery service (CDN), which improves the speed and protection of websites. This means that the sites remain accessible elsewhere in the world, but are invisible in France.
Cloudflare has blocked more than 400 domains in France following court decisions
These blocks follow nine separate court decisions. This method has already been applied in other countries, such as Italy, where the courts ordered Cloudflare to block 30 sites in 2023. However, these restrictions remain limited: a site can circumvent the measure by stopping using Cloudflare services. Despite these efforts, the authorities continue to explore new solutions to combat online piracy.
Cloudflare, for its part, refuses to apply these blocks to its DNS 1.1.1.1 resolution service, a tool that helps Internet users access websites more quickly. According to the company, blocking sites via this service could have consequences well beyond France's borders and affect users in other countries. To comply with court decisions, it claims to have found "alternative mechanisms", without specifying which ones. Finally, the company believes that other Internet players are better placed to enforce these restrictions on a large scale.
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