.png)
5 hours ago
1
Spain’s top football league has once again plunged the country’s internet users into chaos.
On October 18, 2025, LaLiga’s anti-piracy orders led major Spanish ISPs, including Movistar, Vodafone, and Orange, to block a broad range of Cloudflare IP addresses.
The result was widespread connectivity failures that cut off millions from essential online services.
The blackout, which lasted until October 20, crippled access to legitimate websites, gaming platforms, and streaming services.
According to Proton VPN, free signups from Spain surged by 200% as frustrated users sought to reclaim their digital freedom. Many reported that even routine online tasks became impossible without using a VPN to bypass the restrictions.
Cloudflare, a key infrastructure provider that supports millions of sites with DDoS protection, encryption, and content delivery, was targeted because some of its shared IPs had once hosted unauthorized sports streams.
Since Cloudflare’s network architecture assigns multiple unrelated websites to the same IP, the block effectively punished thousands of lawful services for the actions of a few.
Gamers were hit particularly hard. Those trying to play Blue Protocol: Star Resonance, a new MMORPG released globally on October 9, found that the game’s “Start” button disappeared entirely for Spanish players. The only workaround was to connect through a VPN outside Spain.
Both Cloudflare and the cybersecurity group RootedCON previously challenged these blanket blocks in court, warning that they inevitably harm legitimate internet use.
Yet in March 2025, a Spanish judge dismissed their complaint, ruling that they had not provided sufficient evidence of damage. That decision has since enabled LaLiga to expand its enforcement campaign with few legal constraints.
The latest outage underscores the growing reach of LaLiga’s censorship regime, which claims judicial authorization for mass IP blocking in the name of protecting football broadcasts. But the collateral damage is immense.
Businesses, developers, and everyday users have seen their online access vanish without warning, collateral in a digital war they never signed up for.
Proton VPN’s statement captured the underlying problem: when courts permit such broad controls, it is ordinary people who bear the cost. Millions of Spaniards lost access to their favorite platforms, online games, and even local news, victims of a campaign that mistakes collective punishment for enforcement.
Despite mounting public anger, there is no indication that Spain’s censorship orders will ease. As LaLiga continues to claim victories in its anti-piracy crusade, the open internet itself remains the biggest casualty.
