Termination of service in Italy

[Staff 9764]

Hello!

We regret to inform you that we will be discontinuing the service to residents of Italy as of February the 19th, 2024.
From the above date, any user registering on the platform must declare that he/she is not a resident of Italy. The purchase page will have IP address-based geolocation and will not be served to IP addresses located in Italy. We will not interrupt the service to current subscribers until the natural expiry date and the refund policy will be granted as usual.
 

REASONS FOR DISCONTINUATION

The so-called "Italian Piracy Shield" is a legal framework with implementing regulation by AGCOM (Italian Telecommunications Authority) that forces operators offering services in Italy to block access to end services through IP blocking and/or DNS poisoning.  The list of IP addresses and domain names to be blocked is drawn up by private bodies authorised by AGCOM (currently, for example, Sky and DAZN). These private bodies enter the blocking lists in a specific platform. The blocks must be enforced within 30 minutes of their first appearance by operators offering any service to residents of Italy.

There is no judicial review and no review by AGCOM. The block must be enforced inaudita altera parte and without the possibility of real time refusal, even in the case of manifest error. Any objection by the aggrieved party can only be made at a later stage, after the block has been imposed. For further details:
https://www-wired-it.translate.goog/article/piracy-shield-agcom-piattaforma-streaming-pirata-calcio-segnalazioni/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

The above requirements are too burdensome for AirVPN, both economically and technically. They are also incompatible with AirVPN's mission and would negatively impact service performance. They pave the way for widespread blockages in all areas of human activity and possible interference with fundamental rights (whether accidental or deliberate). Whereas in the past each individual blockade was carefully evaluated either by the judiciary or by the authorities, now any review is completely lost. The power of those private entities authorized to compile the block lists becomes enormous as the blocks are not verified by any third party and the authorized entities are not subject to any specific fine or statutory damage for errors or over-blocking.

By withdrawing service availability from Italy, AirVPN will be able to stay outside the scope of the framework and maintain integrity and efficient operations.

We certainly sympathise with our fellow Italian citizens, and we will be happy to offer advice and alternatives. We would also like to remind them of our more than ten years of support for the Tor network, which is freely accessible even from Italy, and which is becoming increasingly reliable and fast thanks to a myriad of small contributions like ours.

Kind regards and datalove
AirVPN Staff
 

[Tubular 1]

Does this also mean that roaming in Italy using AirVPN will not be possible for non-Italy subscribers?

[OpenSourcerer 1361]

Are there any thoughts on moving AirVPN's base to another country? What would a moving scenario entail? Would it even be feasible?

[go558a83nk 352]

I'm sure your lawyers understand this much better than I do but I'm not really understanding why this applies to you anyway considering you don't have servers in Italy and such blocks should be made at the ISP level.  Any blocking you would do to adhere to these edicts would be done on servers *outside* Italy.  Am I misunderstanding something? 

[jeuia3e9x74uxu6wk0r2u9kdos 29]

2 hours ago, go558a83nk said:

I'm sure your lawyers understand this much better than I do but I'm not really understanding why this applies to you anyway considering you don't have servers in Italy and such blocks should be made at the ISP level.  Any blocking you would do to adhere to these edicts would be done on servers *outside* Italy.  Am I misunderstanding something? 

Please read here: https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-shield-iptv-blocking-orders-apply-to-all-dns-vpn-providers-231211  in particular this paragraph:

The document issued by AGCOM acts as a clear reminder of the above and specifically highlights that VPN and DNS providers are no exception.

“[A]ll parties in any capacity involved in the accessibility of illegally disseminated content – and therefore also, by way of example and not limitation – VPN and open DNS service providers, will have to execute the blocks requested by the Authority [AGCOM] including through accreditation to the Piracy Shield platform or otherwise implementing measures that prevent the user from reaching that content,” the notice reads.

 

[Staff 9764]

Hello!
 

20 hours ago, Tubular said:

Does this also mean that roaming in Italy using AirVPN will not be possible for non-Italy subscribers?

Customers who are not residents of Italy and purchased the service from outside Italy should not suffer any unintended suspension, even if they are transiting through Italy (for example for tourism). Should any problem arise please contact the support team.
 

19 hours ago, OpenSourcerer said:

Are there any thoughts on moving AirVPN's base to another country? What would a moving scenario entail? Would it even be feasible?

We will carefully explore different, feasible options when necessary, and this is one of them.
 

19 hours ago, go558a83nk said:

why this applies to you anyway considering you don't have servers in Italy and such blocks should be made at the ISP level.  Any blocking you would do to adhere to these edicts would be done on servers *outside* Italy. 

This is because the authority will seek to enforce blocks on any company offering services to residents of Italy, regardless of whether the service is offered from another country and jurisdiction. See, for example, the request for DNS poisoning filed to Quad9, a non-Italian company that operates DNS servers outside Italy but accessible to residents of Italy. It is remarkable to note that Quad9 challenged a similar request from Sony in court, and won.

Kind regards


 

[NaDre 154]

4 hours ago, Staff said:

 

19 hours ago, OpenSourcerer said:

Are there any thoughts on moving AirVPN's base to another country? What would a moving scenario entail? Would it even be feasible?

We carefully consider different, feasible options when necessary, and this is one of them.
 

Would the officers (and owners?) of AirVPN not have to reside personally in some other country to be safe? Otherwise some major rebranding and obfuscation of ownership might be necessary? To hide the fact that it is AirVPN under a new name? Very problematic I would think.
 

[NaDre 154]

 

23 hours ago, Staff said:

...
The purchase page will have IP address-based geolocation and will not be served to IP addresses located in Italy.
...
We would also like to remind them of our more than ten years of support for the Tor network, which is freely accessible even from Italy, and which is becoming increasingly reliable and fast thanks to a myriad of small contributions like ours.

...

In order to be compliant with this law, will AirVPN have to:

* block Tor from the purchase page?

* apply a similar geolocation block to all connections to VPN servers from clients?

Would AirVPN be free to mention Tor on pages other than the purchase page?
 

[Staff 9764]

2 hours ago, NaDre said:

* block Tor from the purchase page?

Hello!

We will act with due diligence to prevent access to residents of Italy on the purchase page. Blocking Tor on the purchase page may be unnecessary as the payment processors themselves block payments from Tor and they are certainly quite effective (probably more effective than we could ever be), but yes, if the action were within due diligence we might seriously consider it.
 

2 hours ago, NaDre said:

apply a similar geolocation block to all connections to VPN servers from clients?

It shouldn't be strictly necessary, both for the binding declaration where a user states he/she is not a resident of Italy, and for the identical blocking on the purchase page. It might add useless redundancy and incorrectly block non-residents of Italy, but again, see above.
 

2 hours ago, NaDre said:

Would AirVPN be free to mention Tor on pages other than the purchase page?

 
We can't see why not. Tor remains a viable, perfectly legal tool in most countries, Italy included, aimed at facilitating the exercise of some fundamental rights, and it is very good especially when high speeds and UDP are not required.

Kind regards
 

[Old Fella 9]

Wow. This sounds like right out of Orwell's 1984! Does this not infringe upon any EU citizens rights laws or whatever? Which baffoon in the Italian government thought this one up and will the Italian people not react to this or isn't it a big deal?

[tux87 0]

Hello, unfortunately I live in Italy. If I purchase 3 years of service now, will I be able to continue to renew it in the future?

[SimoMil 2]

17 hours ago, Old Fella said:

Wow. This sounds like right out of Orwell's 1984! Does this not infringe upon any EU citizens rights laws or whatever? Which baffoon in the Italian government thought this one up and will the Italian people not react to this or isn't it a big deal?

Sadly there isnt a real "technology and privacy" education here in Italy.
Even more, the Privacy Shield has been promoted and required by the Lega Calcio (soccer league) to "protect from illegal streaming of the matches" and here in Italy it seems soccer being more important than privacy and freedom.

[baucifimi 0]

Hi

Really sorry to read this
Having my contract till the end of october 2024 (and as a Italian customer), do I have to hope not to be blocked? Can I unsubscribe and getting a refund or simply have to wait?

Thanks 

[Staff 9764]

39 minutes ago, baucifimi said:

Hi

Really sorry to read this
Having my contract till the end of october 2024 (and as a Italian customer), do I have to hope not to be blocked? Can I unsubscribe and getting a refund or simply have to wait?

Thanks 

Hello!

Of course you can ask for (and obtain) a refund, as you may have read in the original message. In order to ask for a refund you may either drop a ticket (click "Contact us" from the web site upper menu while you are logged in) or write an e-mail to support@airvpn.org, as you prefer.

Kind regards
 

[Staff 9764]

5 hours ago, tux87 said:

unfortunately I live in Italy. If I purchase 3 years of service now, will I be able to continue to renew it in the future? 

Hello!

We're terribly sorry, it will not be possible.

Kind regards
 

[vandred88 0]

Hi AirVPN Staff,
so if I purchase now 3 years, do you confirm that I will be able to continue until the contract ends?

Thanks
 

Edited ... by vandred88

[cccthats3cs 9]

Looks like this announcement was picked up by TorrentFreak.
https://torrentfreak.com/airvpn-stops-serving-italians-due-to-piracy-shield-blocking-requirements-240206/

Nice to see a bit of mainstream news (in the piracy/VPN space anyway) picking up this announcement.

[tranquivox69 25]

I fail to understand how something like this, clearly escaping due process, can be considered legal. I hope for Italians that this will not end here and people will challenge it in courts.

[jimmycarter00 1]

It will be possible to buy through a different vpn?

[tonato 0]

7 hours ago, tranquivox69 said:

I fail to understand how something like this, clearly escaping due process, can be considered legal. I hope for Italians that this will not end here and people will challenge it in courts.

Have you seen election results in Italy lately? Elections have consequences.

[antizanzara 0]

Sorry for the dumb question. Is geolocating the IP Address in the purchase page the only way AirVPN classifies a customer as "Italian"?
What will prevent an Italian customer from accessing the purchase page through a non-Italian IP address and make the purchase all the same?
Thanks.

Edited ... by antizanzara

[Staff 9764]

2 hours ago, antizanzara said:

Sorry for the dumb question. Is geolocating the IP Address in the purchase page the only way AirVPN classifies a customer as "Italian"?

Hello!

As you might have read it's not the only one. In addition, other safeguards may be in place, but we do not believe it is appropriate to disclose now the details of each and every technical measure that we will implement on top of those mentioned.

Kind regards
 

[misam 9]

Still unclear to me what happens to Italian customers with current subscriptions expiring after the deadline, as others already asked.
My sub expires in 2 years from now. Can I still use it until that expiry date or not? Thanks @Staff for a prompt reply.

[jimmycarter00 1]

Why AirVPN is the only one that will make this? Why other vpn will stay still in Italy?

[johndow353543 1]

If AirVPN needs to move another country, the answer is Seychelles, it will help with taxes and privacy laws. Its time to take the power back

Edited ... by johndow353543