List of domains censored by German ISPs

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Nature of the Blocklist

  • Only ~300 domains are listed; commenters note this is tiny relative to the universe of piracy sites.
  • List is overwhelmingly illicit movie/series/football streaming and torrent-like sites (e.g., “kino” domains, sports streams, Anna’s Archive, Sci-Hub).
  • Some see it as a “curated index” of high‑value piracy sites; others point out major private trackers are missing, so it’s far from complete.
  • A few people say they’ll use the list as a blocklist at home, framing piracy as theft and “inhumane.”

How Blocks Are Implemented and Circumvented

  • In Germany these are DNS-level blocks, affecting only users of ISP DNS; changing DNS, running your own resolver (Unbound/Bind), or using DoH/DoT, VPNs, or services like NextDNS/ControlD bypasses them.
  • Some ISPs use transparent DNS proxies or advertise third‑party DNS (e.g., Google) by default; others don’t implement the CUII blocks at all.
  • Discussion of stronger techniques:
    • UK and Spain examples of IP blackholing/Cloudflare cooperation, occasionally causing collateral damage to unrelated sites.
    • SNI-based blocking vs the rise of TLS 1.3 + ECH. Debate over whether middleboxes can downgrade or strip ECH; practical attacks today often target DoH responses or rely on corporate MITM, not breaking TLS itself.

CUII, Incentives, and Legality

  • CUII is described as a private consortium of copyright holders and ISPs, not a state body.
  • Participation is formally voluntary, but ISPs face pressure: either join and implement blocks, or handle large volumes of individual copyright claims.
  • Some call this “dystopian” industry self‑censorship; others see it as a pragmatic way to reduce legal workload.

Piracy vs. Censorship

  • Many commenters mock the effort as symbolic: anyone savvy enough to find these sites likely knows how to bypass DNS blocking.
  • Others stress that even if limited, blocking lawful resources like Anna’s Archive and Sci‑Hub is harmful.
  • Several highlight the Streisand effect: the public list helps users discover new piracy and streaming sources.

Broader Free-Speech and Political Context

  • Thread digresses into German hate‑speech and insult laws, raids over online posts, and debates about “Volksverhetzung,” Nazi history, and party bans.
  • Opinions split: some see Germany/EU as increasingly authoritarian; others argue restrictions are targeted, historically grounded, and still compatible with robust democracy.