VPNs dodge a bullet — New US piracy bill targets ISPs but leaves VPNs alone

• The DEFEND IP Act is a new bicameral site-blocking bill targeting ISPs, DNS
• The bill explicitly exempts VPNs from carrying out blocking orders
• It allows copyright holders to seek court orders to block foreign platforms

Last week, privacy advocates raised alarms about a US bill that could force virtual private networks to act as piracy blocklists. Now, a newly introduced competing proposal has taken a decidedly different approach — leaving the best VPN providers completely off the hook.

Senator Thom Tillis and Representative Zoe Lofgren have jointly introduced the DEFEND IP Act (Deterring Extraterritorial Foreign Exploitation of Networks Damaging Intellectual Property). The bicameral bill merges two previous legislative drafts into a single proposal aimed at giving copyright holders the power to compel intermediaries to block foreign pirate sites.

However, Representative Darrell Issa's competing American Copyright Protection Act (ACPA) included VPNs in its scope. According to an analysis by TorrentFreak...

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