Google Takes Down Large-Scale Botnet in January 2026
The proxy industry got a wake-up call in January 2026. Google dismantled a multi-million device proxy botnet — a massive network of infected devices that cybercriminals were using as unofficial proxy servers without the owners knowing.
The takedown was one of the largest anti-botnet operations Google has run, and it sends a clear message to the industry: the Proxy botnet takedown on misused proxy infrastructure is real and it is intensifying.
For businesses that rely on legitimate residential and ISP proxies for web scraping, market research, and ad verification, this shift has practical consequences.
Proxy service providers are now doubling down on compliance documentation, acceptable-use policies, and logging transparency.
Regulations are tightening globally, and providers with vague privacy policies are becoming liabilities rather than assets.
The question for businesses is no longer “which proxy is fastest?” — it is “which proxy will not get us blocked or implicated in a legal action?”
Also read about: 6 Best Rotating Proxy Providers of 2026: Fast & Scalable
Legitimate Proxy Use Is Growing — But So Is Enforcement
Despite the crackdown on abuse, the market for legitimate proxy services is growing strong in 2026.
Marketers, developers, and data teams use residential and ISP proxies daily for rank tracking, competitor research, ad monitoring, and account management.
Websites block bots more aggressively than ever before, and the right proxy setup is often the difference between getting clean data and getting a ban.
The big shift this year is from datacenter proxies to ISP and residential proxies. ISP proxies look like real home users to target websites, which means far lower block rates.
SmartProxy, Bright Data, and Oxylabs have all expanded their ISP proxy networks significantly in the first quarter of 2026.
For businesses that need reliable, compliant proxy access at scale, static ISP proxies are the gold standard right now. Start small, test block rates in your target markets, and scale only when you get clean results.
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