Quad9 will stop serving users in France on November 24, 2026, after a French court ordered the nonprofit DNS provider to block domains accused of distributing unauthorized sports broadcasts.
The withdrawal will affect both its cybersecurity filtering and general DNS resolution services, with Quad9 warning that roughly 20 other pending French lawsuits could expose it to further penalties.
The foundation said a ruling issued the previous day in favor of sports broadcaster beIN left it unable to continue operating in France while maintaining its privacy commitments and approach to DNS resolution. An appeal is pending.
Quad9 is a Swiss nonprofit foundation providing free public DNS services, which translate domain names into the IP addresses computers need to connect to websites and other services. Its protective resolvers, including 9.9.9.9, also block domains associated with malware, phishing, and other cyberthreats.
Privacy and blocking collide
The court imposed a €1,000 daily penalty for noncompliance, far below the €580,000 per day beIN sought. Quad9 estimates the penalties will total €24,000 before the blocking requirement expires on November 14, excluding legal expenses.
However, the foundation says the bigger concern is cumulative exposure from other cases demanding it block hundreds of domain names.
Quad9 argues that reliably restricting DNS responses according to users’ jurisdiction is incompatible with how its service operates. It requires no registration or identity verification and says it maintains no database identifying French users.
The foundation also rejects IP geolocation as a dependable compliance mechanism. In an earlier German dispute involving Sony Music, Quad9 says it implemented geographic blocking but was still fined after the restrictions were bypassed using a VPN. Although it ultimately won that case, the litigation consumed substantial money and staff time.
Another option would be to add the disputed domains to its global threat-blocking database. Quad9 says that would satisfy the French order, but would also extend its effects to users worldwide.
The foundation refuses that approach, arguing that copyright restrictions imposed in one country should not determine DNS responses everywhere. It distinguishes its optional cybersecurity filtering from court-mandated restrictions targeting access to content.
Quad9 says it does not condone piracy and argues that enforcement should target those hosting infringing material. Blocking DNS resolution leaves the underlying content online, it notes.
Another DNS migration for French users
The announcement follows Mullvad’s decision to close its public encrypted DNS-over-HTTPS service on November 2 and financially support Quad9 instead.
As previously reported, Mullvad plans to move users retaining Mullvad Browser’s default DNS configuration to Quad9 automatically. The French withdrawal therefore creates an additional migration issue for affected users, with Quad9’s departure scheduled just over three weeks after Mullvad’s shutdown.
Mullvad’s internal DNS service for customers connected through its VPN is separate and is unaffected by its public DNS closure.
French users relying on Quad9 should review DNS settings in their browsers, operating systems, routers, and applications, and configure a replacement before November 24 to avoid potential resolution failures.
Quad9 says it will continue its legal challenges, but has committed to withdrawing French access while those proceedings continue.
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