The upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics just can’t catch a break. During the months leading up to the event, and even now, it has been facing criticism from the public over various logistical issues. Now, the Games’ cybersecurity has been threatened due to a dispute between Italy’s communications regulator (AGCOM) and the American internet services giant Cloudflare.

The US tech firm’s CEO, Matthew Prince, publicly confronted AGCOM on X over a $17 million fine that was imposed on his company.

“The scheme, which even the EU has called concerning, required us within a mere 30 minutes of notification to fully censor from the Internet any sites a shadowy cabal of European media elites deemed against their interests,” he started the long social media post. “No judicial oversight. No due process. No appeal. No transparency,” wrote Prince

The CEO’s argument is technical. He argues that applying such a broad filter to its public DNS resolver service, 1.1.1.1, which handles hundreds of billions of requests daily, could inadvertently censor legitimate websites beyond Italy’s borders and degrade service for users globally.

However, the $17 million fine, which has been dubbed “unjust” by Prince, will force the US tech firm’s CEO to take some actions that will directly impact the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Price will not just discontinue “the millions of dollars in pro bono cyber security services,” but also not provide “Cloudflare’s Free cyber security services for any Italy-based users” anymore. \

There will be further consequences as “all servers from Italian cities” will be removed, and he will terminate “all plans to build an Italian Cloudflare office or make any investments in the country.”

Prince also confirmed that he “will be in DC first thing next week to discuss this with U.S. administration officials and I’ll be meeting with the IOC in Lausanne shortly after to outline the risk to the Olympic Games if Cloudflare withdraws our cyber security protection.”

For the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the timing could hardly be worse. The Games now drive enormous online engagement as fans track results, stream coverage, and seek informational content tied to the competition, including explainer pieces on How to bet on Winter Olympic Games XXV as interest builds around medal contenders. Any gap in cybersecurity protection could expose these heavily trafficked digital channels to disruption.

Major international sporting events like the Games are high-value targets for cyberattacks from malicious groups, which can steal data and even disrupt the broadcasting of the entire event.

Cloudflare, which manages an estimated 20% of global internet traffic, provides a critical layer of protection against such threats. However, if the US tech firm leaves, then it will create a big operational issue for the sporting event.

The entire cybersecurity of the event now lies in the fate of this dispute between AGCOM and Cloudflare. Indeed, the US company was a big help at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Why the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will need Cloudflare

The Paris Olympic Games, which were held from July 26 to August 11, 2024, saw a surge in DDoS attacks. These threats were directed towards the Olympic partner websites. Indeed, the daily 200 million DDoS attack requests, including 90 million more in the first week of the event in August, were immediately blocked.

The last day of the Olympic Games saw a DDoS attack on a French transportation site, which was also resolved, thanks to the security that Cloudflare offered. They were also an observer and analyst of global internet traffic, offering a detailed view of how the world shifted its attention online during the Games.

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Cloudflare’s data revealed that there were dips in internet activity during major broadcast events, such as a 20% traffic drop in France during the opening ceremony, as people tuned into live television instead. There was also a 17% traffic drop in France during Leon Marchand’s gold medal swim and Olympic-record-setting performance in the men’s 400m individual medley.

All of the services that Cloudflare provided made the event blossom in every way possible, as it protected the Games from any attacker that could’ve easily ruined the atmosphere.