Spain Orders Blocks on Archive.today and Its Mirrors

Spain has recently ordered the blocking of multiple domains associated with the Archive.today service and its mirrors. This decision was made without the need for a court ruling, relying instead on a complaint, a commission, and a censorship protocol designed for rapid implementation. The Second Section of the Intellectual Property Commission, part of Spain's Ministry of Culture, initiated this action.

As a result, Spanish internet users attempting to access the site are now redirected to a government page stating that they are attempting to access an "illegal" website.

The webpage, which features the heading "ESTÁ USTED INTENTANDO ACCEDER A UN SITIO WEB ILEGAL" ("YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCESS AN ILLEGAL WEBSITE"), accuses the user of "facilitating illegal access to content protected by intellectual property rights." The full accusation reads: "El acceso a esta página ha sido bloqueado mediante Resolución de la Sección Segunda de la Comisión de Propiedad Intelectual" ("Access to this page has been blocked by a resolution of the Second Section of the Intellectual Property Commission") due to "illegally facilitating access to content protected by intellectual property rights."

The page also warns users that by attempting to access the content, they "está contribuyendo a una actividad ilegal y delictiva, y poniendo en riesgo su seguridad, la de sus datos y dispositivos" ("are contributing to an illegal and criminal activity, and putting at risk your own security, that of your data and devices").

This move to block Archive.today and its mirror sites reflects a growing trend of censorship and surveillance concerns. It is important for individuals to advocate for free speech and privacy online and to resist digital ID initiatives, censorship, and surveillance.