EU Copyright Package Could Require VPNs to Block Websites

The European Commission is weighing an EU-wide system of anti-piracy injunctions for its upcoming Copyright Package. The proposal could require internet providers to block websites and servers hosting infringing content, and the Disruptive Competition Project (DisCo), a blog run by industry group CCIA, warns that VPN providers could also be covered.

VPNs route and encrypt users’ traffic without monitoring what they access or hosting content. DisCo says injunctions would not break encryption, but enforcing them could require providers to check traffic against blocklists, including destination IP addresses or DNS requests. That could turn VPNs into active filters. Because the content would remain online, pirates could move to new domains or routes.

Some countries have already issued blocking orders. In 2025, a Paris court ordered five major VPNs to block more than 200 illegal sports-streaming sites. In February, a Córdoba court ordered NordVPN and Proton VPN to block IP addresses linked to illegal LaLiga streams, then later refused to fine NordVPN for not complying. LaLiga has asked the Commission to add NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark to its piracy watch list.

The source says LaLiga’s campaign in Spain has taken hundreds of thousands of legitimate domains offline. DisCo also warns that monitoring, filtering, or retaining traffic could weaken VPN privacy protections. The Commission has not published its proposal; the Copyright Package is expected in the second quarter of 2027.