French Court's Site-Blocking Orders Drive Quad9 Out of France

A French court ordered Quad9, a nonprofit DNS resolver, to block websites accused of infringing a sports broadcaster’s copyrights. Quad9 plans to stop serving users in France on November 24 rather than comply. DNS resolvers translate website names into the numerical addresses computers use, and can therefore see which domains people visit. Quad9 offers a privacy-focused alternative to internet providers’ resolvers and blocks domains associated with malware and phishing. The order leaves Quad9 with two impractical options: block the sites worldwide, extending French restrictions beyond France, or try to identify French users and block them alone, a task it says it cannot do reliably and that could expose it to large fines. The service also faces about 20 other French lawsuits seeking similar orders.

The departure will deprive French users of a privacy and security service, but it will not take the targeted websites offline: Quad9 does not host them, and users can choose another resolver. The case illustrates how copyright-based blocking orders can burden neutral internet infrastructure without eliminating access to content. It also warns against U.S. proposals that would require internet providers and DNS services to block websites for copyright reasons. Such mandates can restrict speech and access to information, while creating censorship systems that governments or other powerful interests could repurpose. The argument is that lawmakers should reject these proposals because they endanger the open internet and users’ rights without solving copyright infringement.