France asked ISPs to prepare temporary DNS blocks for major social platforms

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu reportedly asked Orange, SFR, Free and Bouygues Telecom to prepare to block access to TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and X ahead of a 24 October demonstration. The request came two days before the planned protest and concerned temporary DNS restrictions, which could prevent users from reaching the platforms through ordinary internet access. The account says the request is documented in a letter and in minutes from a subsequent meeting with the telecom operators. It presents the preparations as a government measure aimed at social networks during a period of public protest, rather than as a general or permanent restriction.

The operators reportedly expressed doubts during the meeting, though the available account does not detail their specific objections or say whether any blocks were ultimately activated. The episode is placed in the context of a similar measure used in New Caledonia in 2024, when authorities restricted access to social media; the Council of State later ruled against the government’s action. That precedent raises questions about the legal basis and proportionality of a nationwide platform cutoff. The central issue is whether preparing network-level restrictions for major social services can be justified as a response to demonstrations, and what safeguards would prevent such a power from undermining freedom of expression and access to information.