Belgium Seeks Crypto Wallet Data From EU Registrars in Piracy Probe

Belgian officials have issued court orders demanding that European domain registrars provide extensive data on operators of alleged pirate sites. The orders, issued by Belgium’s Department for Combating Online Infringement under the French‑speaking Business Court of Brussels, go beyond typical domain blocking measures.

Scope of the Data Requested

Registrars must disclose:

• Full personal details of site operators (name, address, telephone)
• Financial information, including IBAN numbers and credit‑card data
• Cryptocurrency wallet addresses and related transaction hashes
• Up to 12 months of connection logs, device identifiers and IP addresses linked to targeted accounts

Entities Named in the Orders

The court documents reference three EU‑based registrars: Hosting Concepts, Hostinger and Key Systems. A host named Hostinger is specifically mentioned as being compelled to share data.

Legal Context and Restrictions

The orders include a gag clause that bars the registrars from informing account holders or the public about the proceedings. Authorities cite the European Union’s Digital Services Act as providing an exception for criminal investigations. Legal analysts note that the cross‑border applicability of such orders remains uncertain.

Focus of the Investigation

While the specific websites are not disclosed, the court’s rationale references the protection of the “sports economy,” indicating that illegal sports‑streaming networks are the primary target.