Cloudflare geo blocks 2,800 domains as legal pressure intensifies

Tuesday 24 March 2026 - 15:35

By: Dakir Madiha

Cloudflare geo blocks 2,800 domains as legal pressure intensifies

Cloudflare sharply increased its use of geo blocking in late 2025, restricting access to 2,791 domains in the second half of the year, according to its latest transparency report. The figure marks a nearly ninefold rise compared with the 308 domains blocked during the same period in 2024, reflecting growing regulatory pressure on internet infrastructure providers to combat online piracy.

The surge stems from a complex mix of court orders and national regulations across multiple jurisdictions. France accounted for the largest share, with 1,238 domains blocked, followed by South Korea with 1,002 and the United Kingdom with 457. Each country applies different enforcement mechanisms, creating a fragmented regulatory environment for global technology firms.

In France and Belgium, Cloudflare acts when directly named in judicial rulings. In the United Kingdom, the company has voluntarily extended earlier High Court decisions, originally directed at internet service providers, to its own services. South Korea’s contribution reflects a newer legal framework requiring content delivery network providers to enforce government mandated blocklists through infrastructure located within the country.

Despite the increase in enforcement actions, Cloudflare has maintained a firm stance on its public DNS resolver, 1.1.1.1. The company confirmed it has not blocked any content through this service, instead using geo blocking at the network edge as a workaround to comply with certain legal demands while preserving global performance and access.

This position has brought the company into direct conflict with regulators. In Italy, communications authority AGCOM imposed a fine of more than 14 million euros in January after Cloudflare refused to comply with the country’s Piracy Shield law. The legislation requires rapid blocking of domains and IP addresses flagged by copyright holders, often within 30 minutes.

Cloudflare appealed the penalty in March and is challenging the legality of the law itself, arguing that it conflicts with European Union digital services regulations. The company also criticized how the fine was calculated, stating that regulators used global revenue figures rather than local income, resulting in a penalty far exceeding legal limits.

Chief executive Matthew Prince has warned that filtering DNS traffic would have broader implications, potentially forcing the company to restrict content beyond national borders. The debate highlights a growing tension between national enforcement measures and the global nature of internet infrastructure.

The European Commission has also raised concerns about oversight mechanisms within Italy’s anti piracy system, adding another layer of scrutiny to the issue.

As governments intensify efforts to control online content, the increase in geo blocking signals a shift in how infrastructure providers balance compliance, technical neutrality, and the risk of cross border censorship.