Censorship Ruling: DNS Service Quad9 Leaves France

What happened

Quad9 is leaving France. By November 24, it will block French users from reaching public internet addresses through its service, as far as it can. A court in Paris ordered Quad9 to manipulate DNS data. The case was brought by the Qatari company beIN, which wants to stop unlicensed tennis streams. Quad9 says it cannot obey the ruling and still keep its promises to users.

Key numbers and facts

• The ruling was issued on a Wednesday by the 3rd chamber of the Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris.
• If Quad9 does not follow the ruling, it must pay 1,000 euros per day.
• beIN had asked for 580,000 euros per day.
• Users must switch to another DNS server by November 24.
• The block also applies to French overseas regions and to Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, but not to French Polynesia, New Caledonia, or Wallis and Futuna.

What DNS is

DNS is like the internet's phone book. When you type a name such as heise.de, DNS turns it into an IP address, which is the number that computers use to find each other. Quad9 is an alternative to DNS services offered by internet providers, Google, Cloudflare and others. It promises privacy, encryption, and optional protection against malware.

Why it matters

Quad9 says that forcing a neutral DNS service to change its answers puts it in legal trouble just for translating names into addresses. It also says that blocking DNS does not stop piracy, because the content stays online under other names. In Germany, a similar case three years ago ended with DNS resolvers not being treated as offenders. The French regulator ARCOM may also receive complaints, and Quad9 says it will appeal.

What to watch

• Whether Quad9 actually stops service for French users by November 24.
• Whether Quad9 files an appeal against the Paris ruling.
• How ARCOM responds to complaints from French users.
• Whether other DNS services face similar court orders in France or elsewhere.