RAM-only server
A server that runs entirely from volatile memory, so a reboot or a seizure leaves nothing behind on disk.
Glossary
Server seizure
What is Server seizure?
Server seizure is physical confiscation of a VPN server by authorities, usually at the datacentre rather than from the provider. It is the event that tests every claim a provider makes. Seizures have happened to several major providers, and how they responded is more informative than any marketing page.
Why it matters
It is the event that tests every claim a provider makes. Seizures have happened to several major providers, and how they responded is more informative than any marketing page.
What most explanations leave out
Two things matter afterwards: whether anything useful was on the machine, and whether the provider disclosed the incident. A provider that discloses a seizure it could have concealed is demonstrating something an audit cannot.
Related terms
No-logs policy
A provider’s commitment not to record which sites you visit, when you connected, or what address you connected from.
Warrant canary
A regularly updated statement that a provider has not received a secret legal demand, whose disappearance implies that it has.
Questions
- What is Server seizure?
- Physical confiscation of a VPN server by authorities, usually at the datacentre rather than from the provider.
- Why does Server seizure matter when choosing a VPN?
- It is the event that tests every claim a provider makes. Seizures have happened to several major providers, and how they responded is more informative than any marketing page.
- What do most explanations of Server seizure leave out?
- Two things matter afterwards: whether anything useful was on the machine, and whether the provider disclosed the incident. A provider that discloses a seizure it could have concealed is demonstrating something an audit cannot.
Terms are defined here because they appear in our scoring rubric or in provider reviews, not to fill a glossary.