cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/7315022
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a Spanish court has labeled VPN services as “technological intermediaries,” ordering them to actively block IP addresses that host illegal LaLiga matches. The “dynamic” injunction compels NordVPN and ProtonVPN to intervene, similar to local ISPs. But with both companies operating outside EU jurisdiction with privacy-centric business models, it remains unclear if and how the order will actually be enforced.
Courts shouldn’t have the authority to block things for the entire population used for legal reasons that are also used for illegal reasons by a subset of the population. Lawmakers should add a law saying that.
Like dual use, legal and illegal uses, of something can’t be banned. If a terrorist could use an encrypted app, a judge can’t decree that all encrypted apps can’t be used.
If they don’t, then nothing is safe from bad players, and we will have plenty of those in government. It is just common sense to. This is a horrible precedent not fit for a democratic country, but for an autocracy like china. Protecting the revenue of a company does not take precedence over the freedom of the population to communicate with the world as they see fit, and it’s none of the court’s business.