Windscribe CEO says ‘no user data’ is at risk after Dutch authorities reportedly seized server

Dutch authorities have just seized one of Windscribe’s VPN servers, according to reports Posted on X by VPN Company Friday.

The post did not include any indication as to why Dutch authorities seized the server, only that the seizure was done without a warrant and that the authorities said they would return the server to Windscribe once it was “fully analysed.” But despite how serious the incident seemed at first glance, Windscribe reassured the public that the authorities would not find anything useful on the server that could jeopardize the privacy of its users.

Since all of Windscribe’s servers run on RAM only, “the only thing the authorities will find is your stock Ubuntu installation,” the company said on X.

Windscribe CEO Igor Sak told CNET via email that authorities seized the server without explanation other than they wanted to in connection with an active investigation. He said it was possible they wanted to perform a RAM dump, which would capture the server’s memory.

“However, even if successful, no user data would be at risk, as there is no user data or any records of active connections in the server memory once the network cable is pulled (which was the case),” Sack said.

RAM servers run only on volatile memory, which means that data is not saved to the hard disk and is completely erased when the server is shut down or restarted. As a result, the Dutch authorities should not extract anything from their analysis of the confiscated server. This is why we are always looking for VPNs Which have a RAM only server infrastructure or use full disk encryption on their servers to ensure user privacy is properly protected in the event of a server takeover.

In addition, Windscribe’s privacy policy It states that the company does not keep logs of its users’ source IP address, historical history of VPN sessions or anything related to the sites users visit while connected to the company’s servers. Without these logs, there wouldn’t be any useful data on the server for the authorities to collect anyway.

However, claims of lack of records exist It is impossible to verify With 100% certainty, which is why we also highlight the importance of regular third-party audits when evaluating VPNs and protecting their privacy. Although third-party audits are not always foolproof and Don’t paint a complete pictureThese are important trust signals that can add credibility to VPN claims, especially when performed on a regular basis.

Windscribe It has been audited At a fairly regular clip since 2021, with Latest audit Published in the summer of 2024, it covered the company’s FreshScribe VPN infrastructure.

Regular audits can make a strong case for VPN privacy, but real-world legal issues arguably make a stronger case because their timing is not something VPN companies can prepare for. Windscribe faced such a case in 2023, when Greek authorities charged SAC with “unlawful access to an information system” after a user misused a Windscribe server to hack a Greek website and send unsolicited emails. However, the case was eventually dismissed after a long legal battle after Windscribe proved that it did not have anything useful to hand over to the Greek authorities at the time.

“It would have been much faster (and cheaper) to hand over the records in order to identify the actual culprit behind the alleged crime,” Sack wrote in a letter. Blog post. “However, you cannot hand over what you do not have.”

“We receive a number of law enforcement requests every month. Each time we tell them we have no records,” Windscribe said Written on X In response to the recent incident involving the Dutch authorities. “This time they didn’t ask, they just grabbed the server from the shelf to look for the records themselves.”

Windscribe keeps a real-time tally of the legal requests it receives on its site Transparency reports. “No requests were complied with due to a lack of relevant data,” the report notes.