US bill would mandate ISPs, DNS providers and VPNs block foreign piracy sites
The proposal could widen copyright enforcement obligations across core internet access and routing services, if it advances beyond the introduction stage.
H.R. 10364, the American Copyright Protection Act of 2026 (ACPA), has been introduced in Congress; it would require internet access providers, DNS resolvers and VPN operators to block access to foreign piracy sites. Under ordinary court orders, providers would have 14 to 30 days to act, but a judge could set a shorter deadline for a time-sensitive event if copyrighted material is leaked within 24 hours of its start. Public networks, root DNS and top-level-domain providers, along with services serving fewer than 100,000 monthly users, would be exempt. How the proposal applies to VPN traffic remains unclear: it offers no clear test for what counts as a US connection or a foreign service, raising questions when traffic passes through VPNs or CDNs. ACPA remains at the introduced stage, with no sponsors, hearings or markup.
Why it matters
If adopted, the bill would extend direct copyright enforcement duties from rights holders and specialized anti-piracy outfits to a broad set of network intermediaries, including ISPs, DNS providers and VPN operators. That could change how these services manage traffic to foreign sites accused of piracy, although public networks, some core DNS operators and smaller services would not be covered. For now, the measure has no visible traction in Congress and may not move forward without sponsors or hearings.
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Sources
- Tom's Hardware