Concerned About Neutrality Breach? Cisco's OpenDNS Halts Services for Users in France and Portugal

Following a directive from a Paris court, acting on a request from the sports media rights holder Canal +, to block approximately 117 websites hosting pirated content, Google Public DNS, Cisco OpenDNS, and Cloudflare Public DNS were ordered to implement website blocks.

A representative lawyer for Google confirmed the company would comply with the court's directive. Google also determined that blocking these pirated websites through the public DNS system would not significantly impact the majority of users, as changing one's DNS is a simple workaround.

Cisco has now complied with the court order, or more accurately, has chosen a unique form of compliance - by discontinuing DNS resolution services through its public DNS service OpenDNS in France, certain French territories, and across Portugal.

This means that users in France and Portugal utilizing OpenDNS will not be able to access any websites at all, including those hosting pirated content as mandated by the Paris court.

Cisco stated in their announcement:

Effective June 28, 2024: According to a court order issued under Article L.333-10 of the French Sports Code and another order issued under Article 210-G (3) of the Portuguese Copyright Code, OpenDNS is currently unavailable for users in France, certain French territories, and Portugal. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Cisco's approach has sparked considerable debate, touching on issues of network infrastructure neutrality and copyright protection. Cisco did not provide a detailed explanation for the decision to cease service for French and Portuguese users, which undoubtedly causes significant disruption for many.

Some users supportive of Cisco believe this decision helps avoid compromising the neutrality and integrity of OpenDNS. Meanwhile, those in favor of copyright protection argue that public DNS providers will likely face many such directives in the future, and that providers should comply rather than discontinuing their services.

While Google Public DNS and Cloudflare are unlikely to also cease services for French users, Cisco's bold move is sure to draw attention from those concerned with anti-piracy measures.