Arcom's 2023 report observes increased mastery of VPNs and DNS by Internet users who are adept at hacking. For the institution, it is time to question the misuse of these two legal tools for illicit purposes.
Will the next step in the fight against piracy be to raise the voice against alternative VPN and DNS providers? This prospect would clearly not displease the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom), as evidenced by its assessment for the year 2023, delivered this Tuesday April 30.
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The body, which succeeded the CSA and Hadopi at the start of 2022, in fact makes an observation: the vast majority of Internet users who pirate content on the internet know how to implement circumvention strategies to avoid blocking illegal sites. However, blocking by domain name constitutes the cornerstone of the fight against piracy.
Two out of three hackers use a VPN or change DNS
In its study, Arcom notes that two out of three Internet users (66%) with infringing practices use a VPN or an alternative DNS to access illicit platforms. There is even a significant proportion (37%) who use these two stratagems to continue consuming pirated content.
In principle, a VPN (acronym for virtual private network) has the role of securing the Internet connection. In use, the VPN meets various needs. You may want to avoid tracking, bypass geoblocking, limit your exposure when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network or even hide your geographic origin.
As for alternative DNS, it makes it possible to compensate for a possible DNS failure on the operators' side or to avoid being faced with the practice of lying DNS. In this case, Internet service providers are not correctly directing Internet users to the right sites. They can re-route them to other addresses.
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Rallying VPN and DNS providers in the fight against piracy
These different practices are lawful and legitimate. However, VPNs and DNS can also be used for illegal purposes. This is precisely what bothers the Arcom: “ We can wonder about the misuse of internet security tools such as VPN or alternative DNS to access dematerialized content. », Details the report.
Between the lines, we can guess that Arcom believes that some alternative VPN and DNS providers are too lenient towards Internet users who pirate. The proof: their “ involvement (…) in law enforcement, alongside ISPs, would also make it possible to strengthen the effectiveness of blocking measures and intensify the fight against piracy “, she says.
Proficiency with VPNs and DNS, moreover, is on the rise. A 2022 Arcom survey found that 6% of Internet users who hacked said they changed their DNS, and 12% said they used a VPN. Now, awareness of these tools has spread: 57% of hackers use a VPN and 46% change DNS settings.