Why did Dutch authorities seize a Windscribe VPN server?

Dutch authorities seized a Windscribe VPN server as part of an active investigation, with the intention of analyzing it.

Are Windscribe users' privacy at risk after the server seizure?

No, Windscribe assures users that their privacy is not at risk because their servers are RAM-only, meaning no user data is stored permanently.

What is a RAM-only server in the context of VPNs?

A RAM-only server uses volatile memory, which means data is not saved to a hard disk and is wiped when the server is powered off or rebooted.

Home / Technology / Dutch Police Seize VPN Server, User Data Safe

Dutch Police Seize VPN Server, User Data Safe

10 Feb

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Summary

Dutch authorities seized a Windscribe VPN server without a warrant.
Windscribe assures users their data is safe due to RAM-only servers.
The company has a history of cooperating with law enforcement requests.

Dutch Police Seize VPN Server, User Data Safe

Dutch authorities have confiscated a VPN server belonging to Windscribe, as announced by the company on X. The seizure occurred without a warrant, with officials stating they would analyze the server before returning it. Windscribe has assured its users that their privacy remains protected.

This is because all of Windscribe's servers are RAM-only, meaning they operate on volatile memory. Data is not stored on hard drives and is automatically wiped when the server loses power or is rebooted. Authorities would therefore only find a standard Ubuntu installation, with no user data or connection records to be found.

Windscribe CEO Yegor Sak explained that while authorities might attempt a RAM dump, it would not compromise user privacy. This incident underscores the critical importance of VPNs utilizing RAM-only server infrastructure or employing full-disk encryption for robust user protection.