The CCIA stated that “Piracy Shield raises a large number of concerns that it could inadvertently impact legitimate online services, primarily due to the potential for overblocking.” The letter said that in October 2024, “Google Drive was accidentally blocked by the Piracy Shield system, causing a three-hour blackout for all Italian users, while 13.5 percent of users were still blocked at the IP level, and 3 percent at the DNS level after 12 hours.”
“The Italian system aims to automate the blocking process by allowing rights holders to submit IP addresses directly through the platform, after which ISPs must enforce a block,” the CCIA said. “The verification processes between submission and blocking are not clear, and indeed appear to be lacking. Additionally, there is a total lack of redress mechanisms for affected parties in the event the wrong domain or IP address is submitted and blocked.”
30 minute blocking prevents “careful verification”
The 30-minute blocking window “leaves extremely limited time for careful verification by the ISP that the submitted destination is indeed being used for piracy purposes,” the CCIA said. The trade group also questioned the piracy-reporting system’s relationship with the organization that runs Italy’s top football league.
“Additionally, the fact that the Piracy Shield platform was developed for AGCom by a company affiliated with Lega Serie A, one of the very few entities authorized to report, raises serious questions about potential conflicts of interest, exacerbating the issue of lack of transparency,” the letter said.
A trade group for Italian ISPs has argued that the law “requires filtering and actions that impinge on individual freedom” and is contrary to European law which classifies broadband network services as mere conduits free from liability.
“In contrast, criminal liability for ISPs in Italy is clearly established,” Dalia Coffetti, head of regulatory and EU affairs at the Association of Italian Internet Providers, wrote in April 2025. Coffetti argued, “There are better tools to fight piracy, including criminal law, cooperation between states, and digital solutions that reduce the quality of signals transmitted through illegal streaming websites or IPTV. European ISPs are ready to play their part in the fight against piracy, but the solution certainly does not lie in filtering and blocking IP addresses.
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