Is Italy about to break the internet? Cloudflare is threatening to pull its servers out of Italy following a massive €14 million fine. The conflict stems from a regulator’s order demanding that Cloudflare block pirate websites specifically on its consumer 1.1.1.1 DNS service.
This legal battle sets a dangerous precedent for internet infrastructure. Cloudflare argues that as a DNS resolver, 1.1.1.1 acts like a phone book, merely looking up addresses. Blocking access at this level blurs the line between an infrastructure provider and a content publisher. If Cloudflare complies, it opens the floodgates for global censorship where ISPs and tech companies are forced to police user traffic.
The company faces a difficult choice: pay the fine, comply and undermine user privacy/neutrality, or exit the Italian market entirely. This could significantly degrade web performance and latency for millions of Italian users, turning a copyright dispute into a connectivity crisis.
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