Austria ISPs might block unlawful sites

Austria’s government is considering to entitle the internet service providers (ISPs) of the country to block any international website domains that are breaking the local laws.

The Ministry of the Interior is planning to revise the Telecommunications Act 2003 in order the local ISPs will be authorised to use “traffic management measures” to prevent any criminal act such as malware distribution along with copyright infringement and dodgier forms of pornography.

The Austrian Association of Betting and Gaming (OVWG) said that although gambling wasn’t specifically targetted to the proposal, it could be included if the revision will be approved by the legislators.

For a long time, the Austrian government is trying to empower ISPs to block unauthorized online gambling operators’ sites but their efforts have been curtailed by the Court of Justice for the European Union.

Online gambling verticals such as poker and casino are limited to Win2Day, a brand of local operator Casinos Austria and its Austrian Lotteries subsidiary.