# linkspect

> linkspect is an API for website owners. It checks whether a URL opens for real home-broadband and mobile subscribers of named internet providers in a given country, and if it does not, which layer stops it: DNS, IP/TCP, TLS (including certificate substitution), an HTTP block page, a CDN block page, or a filter. It separates "your site is blocked" from "our measurement vantage failed", and it never resolves DNS on its own side for subscriber traffic.

Status (November 2026): early access, free. Try a few free checks a day with the form on the home page and the country pages (Germany, Poland, Norway); everything else goes through the API. There is no dashboard, no scheduled checks and no alerts yet. Countries open: Germany (Telekom, Vodafone, O2; home and mobile), Poland (Orange, Play, Netia, T-Mobile home; Play, Plus mobile), Norway (Telenor, Ice mobile). In testing, not open: United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, Turkey. Results carry `uncalibrated: true`; no accuracy percentages are claimed. Browser-rendered checks (Chrome/Edge red warnings, SmartScreen) and Cloudflare phishing interstitial detection are not available yet.

Key facts:
- One request (`POST https://api.linkspect.com/v1/checks`) with a URL and targets (country, optional operator and connection type `fixed`/`mobile`) expands into cohorts, one per operator and connection type. Each cohort gets exactly one of nine outcomes.
- Verdicts about the site: `ok`, `blocked` (with layer and method, e.g. `dns.redirect`), `target_down`, `target_policy`. Non-verdicts about the measurement, never charged: `proxy_failure`, `provider_policy`, `exit_regime`, `inconclusive`, `not_measured`.
- A `blocked` verdict needs at least 3 subscribers in at least 2 subnets. Each measurement is bracketed by echo calls on the same exit; if the exit's network changed, the measurement is discarded as `proxy_failure`.
- Also reported next to the verdicts: Google Web Risk lookups, Chrome lookalike-domain rules, Google Ad Experience Report, public filtering DNS (DNS4EU, CleanBrowsing, Cloudflare for Families, Quad9, AdGuard, OpenDNS), and Telenor Nettvern+ (an opt-in operator filter) measured through subscribers who have it on, reported as a separate group and at most "likely". Vodafone's and O2's optional filters are reported as not measured: no subscribers with them switched on have been found.
- Pricing: free during early access; later prepaid credits per cohort result, charged only for `ok`, `blocked` and `target_down`.

## Product

- [How a check works](https://linkspect.com/how-it-works): cohorts, subscriber-side DNS, echo bracketing, evidence minimums, what is not covered yet
- [Verdict reference](https://linkspect.com/verdicts): the nine outcomes, layers, methods and confidence labels
- [API quickstart](https://linkspect.com/api): authentication, request and response example, test keys and fixture hosts, endpoints
- [API error types](https://linkspect.com/problems): RFC 9457 problem types returned by the API
- [Pricing](https://linkspect.com/pricing): early access and the pay-per-answer model

## Countries

One page per country: who blocks websites there, how, how to check, and whether linkspect measures it. Facts checked against their sources on 11 November 2026.

- [Germany](https://linkspect.com/countries/germany) (open in early access): Telekom, Vodafone, O2 and other providers block pirate sites named by the CUII, a body they set up with rights holders; some also filter scam sites.
- [Norway](https://linkspect.com/countries/norway) (open in early access): Norway's providers block illegal gambling sites. Scam filters on by default at Telenor (non-business customers), Telia and Altibox can catch legitimate sites.
- [Poland](https://linkspect.com/countries/poland) (open in early access): Every Polish provider must block domains in the Finance Ministry's gambling register; Orange, Play, Plus and T-Mobile also block CERT Polska's phishing list.
- [Canada](https://linkspect.com/countries/canada) (in testing): Canadian providers block piracy sites under Federal Court orders: Bell, Rogers, TELUS, Videotron and four others must block listed domains for home customers.
- [Spain](https://linkspect.com/countries/spain) (in testing): During football broadcasts, Spanish providers block shared server addresses used by pirate streams; 554,507 domains were hit from January to May 2026.
- [Turkey](https://linkspect.com/countries/turkey) (in testing): Turkey (Türkiye) blocked at least 232,441 domains in 2025, mostly by the regulator BTK. Hosting domains like pages.dev were hit. New lines get a family filter.
- [United Kingdom](https://linkspect.com/countries/united-kingdom) (in testing): In the UK, High Court orders make BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media block sites, and mobile networks filter 18+ content by default.
- [Australia](https://linkspect.com/countries/australia) (not covered yet): Australian providers block piracy sites on Federal Court orders and illegal gambling sites at the regulator's request; Telstra also filters malicious sites.
- [Austria](https://linkspect.com/countries/austria) (not covered yet): Austrian providers block sites over piracy, EU sanctions and unlicensed crypto, mostly in DNS; the regulator RTR lists the active blocks by provider.
- [Belgium](https://linkspect.com/countries/belgium) (not covered yet): Belgian providers block phishing sites and sites on the court-ordered piracy blocklist and show a warning page; you can search the gambling and piracy lists.
- [Czechia](https://linkspect.com/countries/czechia) (not covered yet): Czech providers must block sites listed for unlicensed gambling, illegal medicine sales or unsafe food within 15 days. One free public register lists them.
- [Denmark](https://linkspect.com/countries/denmark) (not covered yet): After court rulings, Danish providers block pirate and gambling sites, and all members of the industry body apply each piracy ruling. Both lists are public.
- [France](https://linkspect.com/countries/france) (not covered yet): French providers block sites on court orders against sports piracy and on the gambling regulator's orders. Google's public DNS and some VPNs must block too.
- [Greece](https://linkspect.com/countries/greece) (not covered yet): Greek providers must block the Gaming Commission's 14,977 gambling web addresses (early October 2026). In 2024, copyright blocks mostly targeted IP addresses.
- [Ireland](https://linkspect.com/countries/ireland) (not covered yet): Under court orders, eir, Virgin Media, Sky and Vodafone block pirate stream servers during Premier League and UEFA matches; betting blocks are now possible.
- [Italy](https://linkspect.com/countries/italy) (not covered yet): Italian providers block by IP and domain: Piracy Shield gives them 30 minutes, ADM lists gambling sites. Blocks have hit Cloudflare and Google Drive.
- [Netherlands](https://linkspect.com/countries/netherlands) (not covered yet): Dutch providers block pirate sites on court orders won by BREIN, and EU-sanctioned Russian media. As of November 2026, the gambling regulator cannot block.
- [Portugal](https://linkspect.com/countries/portugal) (not covered yet): Portugal's culture inspectorate can have pirate sites blocked without a court. By 30 June 2026 the gambling regulator had asked providers to block 3,043 sites.
- [Switzerland](https://linkspect.com/countries/switzerland) (not covered yet): Swiss providers must block unlicensed gambling sites on two public lists and illegal pornography reported by the federal police. A 2024 error blocked 20min.ch.
- [United States](https://linkspect.com/countries/united-states) (not covered yet): US providers do not routinely block sites on court orders. What stops US visitors: sites shutting out states, home and school filters, federal domain seizures.
- [All countries](https://linkspect.com/countries)

## Notes

- [Why datacenter uptime monitors miss ISP blocks](https://linkspect.com/notes/why-datacenter-monitors-miss-isp-blocks)
- [Collateral blocking in Europe](https://linkspect.com/notes/collateral-blocking-in-europe): Spain/LaLiga (OONI), Italy/Piracy Shield, Austria/Cloudflare
- [Red warnings and lost visitors](https://linkspect.com/notes/red-warnings-and-lost-visitors): warning click-through research and what gets sites flagged

## Optional

- [Get early access](https://linkspect.com/request-access)
- [Privacy](https://linkspect.com/privacy)