Cisco’s OpenDNS Suspends Service in Belgium Amid Anti-Piracy Enforcement

• Cisco announced that its OpenDNS service is no longer available to users in Belgium.
• This move is believed to stem from increasing legal pressures placed on digital intermediaries to combat piracy on their platforms.
• This decision follows a similar move in France, where DNS providers were asked to stop resolving “pirate” IP addresses.

Cisco’s OpenDNS service has announced its withdrawal from Belgium, citing an unnamed court order. Yet, it may be related to the DAZN order that forces DNS providers to prevent access to over 100 pirate streaming sites. 

The court order reportedly included a provision for dynamic blocking, allowing rightsholders to augment the list of restricted domains as needed. Non-compliance could result in severe penalties of €100,000 per day for the DNS providers. 

Cisco responded by suspending OpenDNS services in Belgium, mirroring its earlier approach when faced with a similar court order in France.  

DNS providers, long considered neutral facilitators of internet traffic, are increasingly caught in the crosshairs of anti-piracy enforcement efforts.  Legal measures in Europe, including Italy and France, have introduced stringent requirements for digital services to actively block or restrict access to pirated content.  

Earlier this year, Belgium followed suit. A Belgian court, responding to demands from DAZN and other rightsholders, issued an injunction targeting DNS providers such as Google, Cloudflare, and Cisco. 

These providers were ordered to cease resolving IP addresses associated with over 130 domains linked to pirate sports streaming sites. Additionally, Belgian ISPs were instructed to comply with the order by implementing necessary blocking measures.  

While some methods of compliance, such as blocking specific domains, align with the core functions of DNS services, Cisco's decision to withdraw raises key questions. Dynamic blocking and financial penalties likely presented an ongoing liability that made continued operation in Belgium a high-risk endeavor.  

A trend in the digital ecosystem sees intermediaries increasingly being held accountable for mitigating online piracy. Anti-piracy advocates, including entertainment giants like DAZN and Canal+, argue that intermediaries play a critical role in enforcement.