Quad9 DNS resolver will stop offering its free service to internet users in France starting November 24, 2026. a press releaseThe Swiss foundation justifies this decision with a court order requiring it to block websites associated with the illegal broadcast of sports, particularly tennis. The group had previously threatened to act and is now doing so.
Why Quad9 DNS is leaving France
The conflict pits Quad9 against beIN Sports, which seeks to block access to streaming sites that broadcast sports competitions without authorization. The Paris court ordered Quad9 to apply blocking measures and set a fine of 1,000 euros per day in case of non-compliance. The fine is much less than the €580,000 per day initially claimed by the broadcaster, but Quad9 believes the decision creates a broader legal risk.
Affected domain names increased from six to 58 as the block list was updated. According to Quad9, the penalty linked to this case could reach 24,000 euros until the end of the blocking period scheduled for November 14, without including legal costs. The foundation also indicates that it faces around twenty more proceedings in France, which could lead to new obligations.
Quad9 refuses to filter illegal streaming sites
DNS translates readable website addresses into IP addresses used by devices. Quad9 offers a free public resolver that can block domains identified as being associated with malware or phishing campaigns on its secure service. The foundation believes, however, that filtering computer threats must be distinguished from blocking content for copyright reasons.
The organization explains that it does not have user accounts or data that would allow it to reliably identify all people located in France. According to her, a blockade limited to French territory would be difficult to apply correctly. The other option would be to block domains for all users of the service worldwide, something that Quad9 rejects, arguing that a French decision should not be extended to Internet users in other countries.
The foundation says it does not defend piracy. He argues that the fight against illegal transmissions should target the sites and infrastructure that host the content, and not DNS resolvers. This position continues to be that of Quad9, while the French justice system considered that in this case blocking measures could be imposed.
French users will have to choose another solver
Starting November 24, 2026, Quad9 plans to make its DNS resolution and cyber protection services unavailable to users located in France. Individuals, companies, and organizations that have manually configured Quad9 addresses, including 9.9.9.9, will need to choose another resolver if they want to avoid domain name resolution issues. There are many, including Cloudflare and Google, to name a few.
This departure also means that French Internet users will no longer benefit from the malicious domain filtering provided by Quad9. They will need to verify that their replacement solution offers comparable protections.
A precedent already observed with OpenDNS
Quad9 is not the first public DNS service to withdraw from France following a blocking decision. OpenDNS suspended its service in France in 2024 in the context of a conflict related to the broadcast of sports content. Quad9’s output shows the possible consequences of these decisions for technical intermediaries that are not the hosts of the target sites.
Quad9 says an appeal is pending and it will continue to defend its position in court. Therefore, its withdrawal does not necessarily mean the end of the litigation. The file raises a broader question: to what extent can blocking obligations be extended to the technical infrastructures of the Internet to combat piracy, without weakening the security and confidentiality services used by the public?
