14 DAY TRIAL // Italy is certainly a unique case when it comes to the fight against online piracy. Following complaints from copyright holders, Italian ISPs have blocked a long list of torrent sites, a list which has just expanded to include RARBG, Flashx, as well as streaming site 123movies.
Over the past week, several new domains were added to Italy's black list, TorrentFreak reports. According to them, the list includes ddlhqfilm.com, flashx.tv, games.torrentsnack.com, mega-wii.com, musicplayon.com, and rarbg.to.
The growing number of blocked websites is a bit of a concern among those advocating for a free Internet, and it seems that this type of actions against torrent sites is becoming more widespread across countries in Europe. AGCOM, the local Italian telecoms watchdog, notes that there are about 300 blocked URLs at the moment.
The blockade was set after rightsholder groups and companies complained about copyright infringement on the aforementioned websites. Following the complaints, AGCOM ordered local ISPs to block access to sites within two days, as per the law.
Immediate effect, but temporary
The effects can be seen immediately as Italian traffic to the blocked websites dropped immediately. ISPs, however, believe people will simply find ways around the restrictions. Whether that's via a VPN tool or by using a proxy or any other circumvention way, people will find it.
"These blockades have major effects on site users. Users learn to circumvent them, realizing how stupid their governments are," one operator told the publication.
The conversation about how effective such blockades really are has been going on for a while now and it's been clear that they're not effective. People will either find other websites to download from, use VPNs or proxy sites, or learn how to go around the blockade simply just to spite them.
AGCOM and rightsholders across the world are convinced they're fighting the good fight, however, and that their methods are working. To each their own.