Matthew Prince

Italy's communications authority AGCOM announced a penalty exceeding €14 million against Cloudflare in January 2026 for failing to comply with anti-piracy regulations related to Piracy Shield. CEO Matthew Prince condemned the fine as 'a scheme to censor the internet,' criticizing it for having 'no judicial oversight,' no appeal process, and no transparency, and requiring services to block content globally not just in Italy. Prince threatened to discontinue free cybersecurity services for Italian users, remove all servers from Italian cities, scrap investment plans, and 'discontinue the millions of dollars in pro bono cyber-security services' Cloudflare was providing for the Milan Cortina Olympics in February 2026.