- The Ministry of Culture publishes an official list of blocked websites for the first time.
- The system has been targeting copyright-infringing websites for over a decade.
- Amazon's AWS and other platforms are listed, although in some cases for indirect reasons.
- Blocks can affect legitimate services and are constantly updated with new rulings.
For more than ten years, there has been an administrative procedure in Spain to block access to websites that infringe copyrightFor a long time, many of these decisions were made outside the public eye, generating doubts among users who suddenly found their favorite page inaccessible. Now, the publication of a official list by the Ministry of Culture sheds some light on this process and the sites affected.
The list, available on the Ministry's own website in the section on combating intellectual property infringement, currently covers more than 300 domains, which include pages that are well-known both for their use and for the controversies surrounding their inclusion. This is a an unprecedented transparency measure in the Spanish environment, since never before has such a comprehensive compilation of websites blocked by administrative order been made public.
How does website blocking work in Spain?
La Second Section of the Intellectual Property Commission It is the body created in 2012 responsible for receiving complaints and opening proceedings against websites that, according to copyright holders, distribute protected content without authorization. After a process in which websites can file objections, if they do not remove the infringing material, the Ministry orders operators to block access to those domains through Spanish networks.
This mechanism allows internet providers to cut off access to affected sites, showing users a message like "You are trying to access an illegal website"Until recently, the only way to know which pages were blocked was to check it empirically or follow the testimony of other users on social networks. With the new public listing, you can finally check directly and officially which websites have been blocked.
What types of websites appear on the blocked list?
Among the domains published by the Ministry of Culture, portals of Music downloads, video converters, torrent sites, movies, series, books, and links to sports broadcastsIt is common to find recurring names in the Spanish pirate scene, such as the following:
- 9xbuddy
- elitetorrent
- Photocall.TV
- Snapsave.io
- Music-bazaar
- Grantorrent
- Fiuxy
- Exvages
These are some of the websites that appear on the blocked list in Spain. But in addition to these, We can also see parallel streaming service variants blocked..
It is striking that aws.amazon.com also appears among the addresses, Amazon's well-known cloud service provider. In this case, the reason is not that Amazon as a company infringes the rights, but that Many sites accused of piracy use AWS infrastructure to host their websites.Unable to pinpoint the ultimate perpetrators, the administration requested the supplier's assistance, a situation that has generated confusion and can sometimes affect legitimate services.
Also, the list addresses Blockages that can vary over time, since many websites, after being blocked, migrate to other domains or slightly change their address. The phenomenon is so well-known that Many of the names included currently redirect to similar services that have been avoided, for now, the veto.
Here you have the Complete list of web domains subject to final resolution by the S2CPI from 2012 to 2025.
Recent incidents and controversies: Amazon Prime Video and LaLiga rulings
The application of these Blockades sometimes generate collateral consequences that are difficult to foreseeA recent example is what happened with Amazon Prime Video, which Over a weekend it was inaccessible to users of some operators because one of its IP addresses was blocked along with other websites associated with football piracy. Despite the message attributing the outage to a court order for rights protection, neither LaLiga nor the platforms involved directly acknowledged responsibility. demonstrating the lack of transparency in the execution of these blockades.
These situations can affect completely legal services simply by sharing technical infrastructure with sanctioned sites. Amazon Web Services address in Spain has met with representatives of the sports authorities to seek solutions, although the problem lies in the difficulty in differentiating between the provider and the ultimate offender.
System impacts on users and browsing in Spain
The Users may encounter unexpected crashes These measures affect access to download websites and, more sporadically, to streaming platforms, video games, and even corporate services. Although the measures seek to protect the rights of creators and the interests of large audiovisual producers, the inclusion of websites or resources that do not always directly violate the law may generate controversy.
Furthermore, the published list does not reflect all the blocks that may occur due to other court orders, especially those triggered occasionally during sporting events. Updates to the official list may also be outdated compared to reality, where blocked domains multiply or are renewed weekly.
Is website blocking effective? What happens to resurrected domains?
Despite the efforts of the authorities, blocking websites does not guarantee the end of violations, since many platforms change domain or migrate their services to avoid restrictions. It is common for users to be able to find similar content with only a slight variation in the original web address. This "cat and mouse game" is a constant that makes the fight against online piracy require constant monitoring and updating of the measures applied.
The new transparency in the publication of the list of blocked websites in Spain allows, at least, More information for citizens, who can check which domains have been banned by administrative order and in what year the measure was adopted. However, the changing nature of the internet and the ease of circumventing blocks remain a challenge for all involved.
Public access to the list of blocked websites represents a step forward in transparency and allows users to better understand the reasons and rules governing browsing in Spain. The fight against online piracy remains complex. and requires constant adaptation from both authorities and users.
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