Cloudflare starts blocking pirate sites for UK users

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Centralization & Cloudflare as Gatekeeper

  • Many see this as the predictable outcome of routing a large share of global traffic through one company: once you’re the chokepoint, you’re the censor.
  • Commenters argue centralization was a self-inflicted “footgun”: sites voluntarily gave Cloudflare control, and now governments can pressure one entity instead of many ISPs.
  • Some frame Cloudflare’s role as legally compelled compliance; others emphasize its arbitrary past deplatforming decisions and say it has long since abandoned “we serve everything.”

“Blocking” vs Hosting and Legal Obligations

  • There’s debate over terminology: technically Cloudflare is refusing to serve content as a CDN/host to UK clients, not blocking the sites Internet-wide.
  • One side says Cloudflare is functionally the host (last hop, serves cached content), so it’s more than a neutral intermediary.
  • Others argue it’s no different from Steam not selling certain games in some regions: a service declining to offer content in a jurisdiction under court orders.

Piracy, Copyright, and Legitimacy

  • Some participants are unbothered, saying sites clearly branded and used for piracy are obvious enforcement targets; the “Linux ISOs” defense is seen as unserious.
  • Others focus on the injustice and rigidity of modern copyright (no realistic path to derivative works, orphan rights) and see this as part of a broader cultural-control problem.

Circumvention: Tor, VPNs, and Technical Blocking

  • Previously, UK ISP-level blocks could be bypassed with any VPN or custom DNS; now Cloudflare blocks at the CDN edge, so UK endpoints (including VPNs) are still censored.
  • Workarounds discussed: Tor Browser (with the caveat not to torrent over Tor), non-UK VPN/VPS with WireGuard/OpenVPN, and DPI bypass tools.
  • Some ISPs already combine DNS, IP, and SNI filtering; comparisons are made to China/Russia-style controls.

Digital IDs and the Future Internet

  • A large subthread explores the idea of an “Internet driver’s license” or state-backed digital ID: potential benefits cited include bot reduction, microtransactions, and less abuse.
  • Strong pushback warns it would inevitably become pervasive surveillance and identity-linked browsing, empowering governments and large platforms to censor and control.
  • Zero-knowledge proofs and privacy-preserving IDs are mentioned as technically possible but widely considered politically unlikely to be implemented safely.

Politics, Public Opinion, and Pessimism

  • UK petitions and letters to MPs are seen by some as performative and ineffective; others argue sustained pressure still matters even if success is rare.
  • Several comments are openly fatalistic: the public largely supports “safety” laws, the trajectory toward more control is long-running, and alternatives will be niche, slower, and potentially risky.