A VPN provider says Dutch law enforcement seized a server without a warrant and claims no user data was stored on it.

Canada-based VPN provider Windscribe says Dutch authorities have allegedly seized one of its European servers without a warrant. In a post on X, the company claimed law enforcement told it the server would be returned after it was “fully analyzed.”

It remains unclear why officials removed only a single rack from Windscribe’s cabinet. The company emphasized that it operates RAM-only servers, meaning no user data is stored on physical drives. As a result, Windscribe says anyone examining the server’s installed SSDs would find only a standard Ubuntu installation, with no trackable user information present.

“THIS IS NOT A DRILL: The Dutch authorities, without a warrant, just seized one of our VPN servers saying they’ll give it back after they ‘fully analyze it,’” Windscribe wrote on social media. “Windscribe uses RAM disk servers so the only thing the authorities will find is a stock Ubuntu install.”

Windscribe has long maintained that it does not log or store personal user activity. On its website, the company states that its Transparency Report tracks real-time data requests from copyright holders and law enforcement agencies, adding that it has complied with zero requests to date due to a lack of relevant data.

In a follow-up post, Windscribe said it typically receives “a handful of law enforcement requests every month” and routinely responds that it has no logs to provide. In this case, however, the company claims authorities did not make a formal request, stating instead that “they just snatched the server from the rack to look for the logs themselves.”

RAM does not retain data once power is lost, which is why privacy-focused organizations often rely on RAM-only infrastructure instead of traditional SSDs or hard drives. Some users on X pointed out, however, that seized servers are often kept powered on or otherwise accessible so investigators can perform live memory captures during forensic analysis.

While the purpose of the seizure remains unknown, the incident may serve as a real-world test of the privacy protections Windscribe advertises. Still, experts note that even the most privacy-focused VPN services cannot guarantee complete anonymity without additional steps taken by users themselves.

Windscribe has been contacted for comment, and updates will be provided if the company responds.

Reports are sourced from official documents, law-enforcement updates, and credible investigations.

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