Key Takeaways
- Belgium’s BAPO ordered domain registrars to submit financial, IP, and account details of pirate operators.
- Court orders named host Hostinger among entities compelled to share data to shield the sports economy.
- Experts question if cross-border demands will survive scrutiny under the EU Digital Services Act.
Crackdown on Digital Piracy
Belgian authorities have escalated their efforts to combat digital piracy by issuing sweeping demands to European domain registrars, requiring them to turn over financial records, cryptocurrency wallet details, and technical logs linked to suspected pirate site operators.
According to a local report, the directives were issued by Belgium’s Department for Combating Online Infringement under orders from the French-speaking Business Court of Brussels. Unlike standard enforcement measures that focus on domain-level website blocking, the new orders require domain registrars and a registry to disclose comprehensive identification data of site operators.
The requested information includes full names, physical addresses, telephone numbers, financial records—such as complete IBAN details and credit card information—and cryptocurrency wallet addresses alongside transaction hashes.
Registrars are also required to provide up to 12 months of connection logs, device details, and IP addresses associated with targeted user accounts. The documents released by the department conceal the identity of the copyright holders who requested the orders, as well as the names of the websites targeted. However, court reasoning citing the need to protect the “sports economy” indicates the investigation centers on illegal sports streaming networks.
While most intermediary names were redacted, three EU-based registrars—Hosting Concepts, Hostinger, and Key Systems—were identified in text within the released decisions.
Gag Orders
Under terms specified in the court order, targeted registrars are subject to a strict gag order prohibiting them from notifying account holders, third parties, or the public regarding the proceedings. Officials cited provisions within the European Union’s Digital Services Act that allow exceptions to standard user notification requirements when criminal investigations are underway.
Authorities said the scope of legal enforcement extends to any service provider accessible within Belgian territory, though legal experts note that cross-border enforcement against entities based outside Belgium remains untested under the framework.