Court-Proven No-Logs VPNs — The Only Ones That Actually Passed the Test
Court-Proven No-Logs VPNs — The Only Ones That Actually Passed the TestEvery VPN says “no logs.” Four of them proved it when the police showed up.
Why This Matters (Even If You Don’t Know What a Log Is)
Easy-Peasy — What's Actually at Stake
When you use a VPN, all your internet traffic flows through their servers. That means the VPN company could see everything you do — every site, every search, every click.
“No logs” means they promise not to record any of it. But here’s the problem — everyone promises that. It’s on every VPN website in big bold letters. It’s marketing.
The real question is: what happens when police show up with a warrant demanding user data?
Some VPNs folded and handed everything over. Others had literally nothing to give — because they built their systems so that logs physically cannot exist.
That’s the difference between a promise and proof.
The Trusted Four — Proven Under Pressure
Mullvad VPN — Police Raided Their Office. Left Empty-Handed.
Based in: Sweden
What happened: In April 2023, six officers from Sweden’s National Operations Department walked into Mullvad’s Gothenburg office with a search warrant. They wanted computers with customer data.
Result: There was no customer data. None. Mullvad demonstrated to the officers how their system works — it’s architecturally impossible to store user information. The police consulted with prosecutors, then left without taking anything.
Why they’re built different:
- No email required to sign up — just a random account number
- Accepts cash by mail (literal envelope with money) and Monero
- RAM-only servers — if power cuts, everything vanishes
- Multiple independent audits confirming no logs
- €5/month flat — no discounts, no upsells, no data subsidizing the price
Mullvad doesn’t even want to know who you are. That’s not a slogan — it’s their entire architecture.
ExpressVPN — Server Seized in a Murder Investigation. Found Nothing.
Based in: British Virgin Islands
What happened: In 2017, Turkish authorities investigating the assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov seized an ExpressVPN server. Someone had used it to delete the assassin’s Facebook and Gmail accounts. This was a high-profile international murder case — authorities were not messing around.
Result: The seized server contained zero logs. No user data. No connection records. Nothing that could identify who used it. ExpressVPN cooperated fully — they just had nothing to give.
Why they’re built different:
- TrustedServer technology — all servers run in RAM only, no hard drives
- After the Turkey incident, they pulled physical servers out of Turkey entirely and switched to virtual servers hosted in the Netherlands
- Multiple PwC and KPMG audits verifying no-logs policy
- BVI jurisdiction — no data retention laws
When a government seizes your hardware during an assassination investigation and still finds nothing — that’s proof, not marketing.
ProtonVPN — Court-Ordered to Hand Over Data. Had None.
Based in: Switzerland
What happened: In 2019, a foreign government’s data request was approved by a Swiss court, ordering ProtonVPN to hand over information identifying a specific user.
Result: ProtonVPN couldn’t comply — because the logs didn’t exist. No IP addresses stored. No connection metadata. The request went nowhere.
Why they’re built different:
- Swiss jurisdiction — some of the strongest privacy laws on the planet
- Four consecutive independent audits by Securitum (most recent August 2025) — all confirming zero logs
- Open-source apps — anyone can inspect the code
- Transparency report showing dozens of data requests per year — all denied because no data exists
- VPN isn’t classified as a communication tool under Swiss law — they can’t be forced to log
ProtonVPN publishes every data request they receive. The answer is always the same: we have nothing to give you.
IVPN — Independently Audited. Every Claim Verified True.
Based in: Gibraltar
What happened: IVPN invited Cure53 (a respected independent security firm) to audit every system involved in serving VPN connections — gateways, authentication servers, all of it. Three auditors spent seven days with full root access to everything.
Result: Every single privacy claim IVPN makes was verified as truthful. The auditors concluded that IVPN’s dedication to privacy was evident across their entire infrastructure.
Why they’re built different:
- No email required to sign up
- Accepts cash, Monero, and Bitcoin
- All servers self-hosted and operated by IVPN — no third-party data centers
- No affiliate program — you won’t find them on sketchy “top 10 VPN” lists because they don’t pay for placement
- Annual security audits by Cure53
- Open-source apps for full transparency
IVPN is the quiet kid who doesn’t need to shout. They let the audit results do the talking.
The Ones That Got Caught Lying
These VPNs Claimed 'No Logs' — Then Handed Data to Authorities
Not every “no logs” promise holds up. These providers got exposed:
| VPN | What Happened | Year |
|---|---|---|
| PureVPN | Claimed zero logs. FBI approached them during a cyberstalking case. PureVPN provided IP addresses and connection timestamps that directly led to the suspect’s arrest. | 2017 |
| IPVanish | Claimed “strict zero-logs policy.” When the Department of Homeland Security subpoenaed them, they initially said they couldn’t help. After a second request, they handed over the username, full name, email, IP address, and detailed connection logs. | 2016 |
| HideMyAss | A LulzSec hacker used HMA during the Sony Pictures hack. When the FBI came knocking, HMA provided logs that directly identified and incriminated the user. | 2011 |
| Hotspot Shield | Faced a 14-page complaint filed with the FTC alleging unfair and deceptive trade practices around their privacy claims. | 2017 |
The lesson: If a VPN folds under pressure and produces data they swore they never collected — their entire privacy promise was a lie from day one.
These providers have since undergone audits and policy changes, but once trust is broken, the stain stays. You trusted them with your privacy and they handed it to law enforcement on a silver platter.
Side-by-Side Comparison
The Trusted Four vs The Exposed
| Feature | Mullvad | ExpressVPN | ProtonVPN | IVPN | PureVPN |
IPVanish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No-logs proven | Police raid |
Server seizure |
Court order |
Independent audit |
Gave FBI data |
Gave DHS data |
| RAM-only servers | |
|
|
|
|
|
| Anonymous signup | (number only) |
(email needed) |
(email needed) |
(no email) |
|
|
| Cash payments | |
|
|
|
|
|
| Open source | |
Partial | |
|
|
|
| Independent audits | Annual |
Multiple |
Annual (×4) |
Annual |
Post-scandal only | Post-scandal only |
| Jurisdiction | Sweden |
BVI |
Switzerland |
Gibraltar |
BVI |
 USA |
Which One Should You Pick?
Quick Decision Guide
Maximum privacy, don’t care about streaming → Mullvad or IVPN. Anonymous signup, cash payments, no trace of your existence.
Privacy + streaming + ease of use → ExpressVPN. Works with Netflix, Hulu, and basically everything. Proven no-logs. Most user-friendly.
Privacy + free tier available → ProtonVPN. The only trustworthy VPN with a genuinely free plan. Swiss jurisdiction is a massive plus.
Paranoia mode → Mullvad paid with cash via mail + Tor. Nobody knows you exist. Not even Mullvad.
Four VPNs. Four receipts. Everyone else is just talking.
!