Spain Orders Blocks On Archive.today And Its Mirrors☰latestspeechprivacytools▾recommended toolsVPN ComparisonBill Trackercampaigns▾age verificationdigital idchat controlencryptioncbdcaction▾usaukeucanadaaustraliaSearchSearch Reclaim The Net×SearchBrowse topicsSpeechPrivacyCultureToolsAntitrustRecent storiesSpain Orders Blocks On Archive.today And Its MirrorsUK Government’s Apple iCloud Backdoor Secrecy Called “Farcical” in CourtUS Embassy Summoned UK Officials Over Censorship Law DisputesSignal Beta Lets Android Users Create Accounts Without Phone NumbersSpain Orders Blocks On Archive.today And Its MirrorsNo court ruling was required; only a complaint, a commission, and a censorship protocol built for speed.By Cindy HarperSeptember 18, 2026ShareIf you’re tired of censorship and surveillance, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.Spain’s Second Section of the Intellectual Property Commission, a part of the country’s Ministry of Culture, has ordered the blocking of several domains of the Archive.today service, a web archiving service.It means that most Spanish internet users who try to access the site are redirected to a government page telling them that they are trying to access an “illegal” website.The page, with the heading “ESTÁ USTED INTENTANDO ACCEDER A UN SITIO WEB ILEGAL” (“YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCESS AN ILLEGAL WEBSITE”), goes on to accuse the user of “facilitating illegal access to content protected by intellectual property rights” by visiting the site.The full text of the accusation against the user is: “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”) because of “facilitar ilegalmente el acceso a contenidos protegidos por derechos de propiedad intelectual” (“illegally facilitating access to content protected by intellectual property rights”).The page then warns that by trying to access the content, the user “está contribuyendo a una actividad ilegal y delictiva, y poniendo en riesgo su seguridad, la de sus datos y dispositivos” (“is contributing to an illegal and criminal activity, and putting at risk your own security, that of your data and devices”).The alternative offered to the user is to “si opta por acceder a contenidos de fuentes legales, contribuye a la creación artística, a la mejora del producto cultural y al desarrollo de la economía” (“if you choose to access content from legal sources, you are contributing to artistic creation, improving cultural products and developing the economy”).The blocking of the site was first reported by the Spanish website Banda Ancha. The blocking reportedly began in mid-August with some operators, and then others followed.The order to block the site was given by the Intellectual Property Commission, but the complaint was filed by an unnamed rights holder, while the case is not a court ruling, but an administrative decision. The block affects not only the main Archive.today domain, but also its mirrors: Archive.is, Archive.ph, and Archive.li.Blocking an entire service to reach one offending entry is not a new tactic in Spain. The same method has been used against sites carrying sports broadcasts, which Reclaim The Net has covered extensively.The report also said that the affected domains did not appear on the list of blocked sites that the Ministry of Culture publishes and which was last updated on September 11.According to the report, the blocking was done in line with a protocol signed in 2021 by the Ministry of Culture, a group of rights holders, and major ISPs, who undertook to block “mirror” sites within 24 hours of receiving notice from a Technical Committee.Archive.today is a service that saves snapshots of web pages, allowing users to view sites and articles that have been removed or altered, or are behind paywalls. It is a valuable tool for researchers and journalists, as it preserves evidence of what was once on the internet.Defend free speech and privacy online.Push back against digital ID, censorship, and surveillance.SubscribeRead NextMembersBitchat: The Right App for a Situation Nobody Wants to Be InMembersThe Right Way to Hide Your Email AddressMembersThe Memory Hole Above BeijingHomeRSSContactShopDonateBecome a member© 2026 Reclaim The NetPrivacy

Spain’s Second Section of the Intellectual Property Commission, which operates under the country’s Ministry of Culture, initiated an order to block several domains belonging to the Archive.today web archiving service. This action involves redirecting most Spanish internet users attempting to access these sites to a government page asserting that they are attempting to access an illegal website. The redirection page explicitly accuses the user of “facilitating illegal access to content protected by intellectual property rights,” citing a resolution from the Second Section of the Intellectual Property Commission that authorized the blockage. Furthermore, the warning issued to the user states that by attempting access, the individual is contributing to illegal and criminal activity, thereby risking their own security, the security of their data, and the security of their devices. The alternative presented to the user suggests that accessing content from legal sources contributes positively to artistic creation, cultural product improvement, and economic development.

The blockage was initiated following a complaint filed by an unnamed rights holder, rather than a formal court ruling, classifying the action as an administrative decision based on a complaint, a commission, and a specific censorship protocol designed for speed. This action affects not only the main Archive.today domain but also its mirror sites, including Archive.is, Archive.ph, and Archive.li. This systematic approach to blocking an entire service to restrict access to a single set of content is not unprecedented in Spain, as similar methods have been employed against sites carrying sports broadcasts. The reporting of this action was initiated by the Spanish website Banda Ancha, and the blocking process reportedly commenced in mid-August as various operators followed the directive.

The mechanism for this blocking was executed in accordance with a protocol established in 2021, which was signed by the Ministry of Culture, a group of rights holders, and major Internet Service Providers, stipulating that mirror sites must be blocked within twenty-four hours of receiving notice from a Technical Committee. Archive.today itself functions as a valuable utility by saving snapshots of web pages, which serves as a crucial resource for researchers and journalists by preserving evidence of content that may have been removed, altered, or placed behind paywalls.