Can Police Track VPN Users?
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As surveillance becomes such a bitter part of our digital lives, you’re wondering: Can the police track the activities of VPN users? Rumors and speculation from online communities will not satisfy the appetites of the curious. VPN Tools are the frontline warriors against censorship, surveillance and unscrupulous restrictions on human rights. However, the position of anonymity first is not an excuse for evil and illegal actions. When it comes to disclosing data to law enforcement agencies, VPNs serve as potential sources of evidence. So, can the police track down VPN users suspected of criminal behavior? What data do VPNs hold, and what are their policies regarding court orders? There is a lot of ground to cover, so let’s jump straight to the discussion.
Standard police routine for tracking netizens
Law enforcement has long been hesitant about online privacy and anonymity. With emerging technology such as facial recognition and digital forensics, officers catch criminals more efficiently and cheaply. However, cybercrime takes place in a digital environment, often replenished with proxy servers. Investigators will require disclosure of data from Internet service providers to obtain more information about the suspects. Although IP addresses are not always accurate, it does give officers some clues. For example, ISPs reflect users and public places (city or state).
Therefore, completing the investigation of the arrested offender requires months of intense work. Even if legal agencies can locate the criminals, they still need warrants to confiscate the devices as evidence. Of course, experienced hackers or scammers usually have in-depth strategies to hide their activities. For example, a suspect may delete or encrypt incriminating information. Hence, law enforcement agencies employ full-fledged specialized teams to investigate cybercrime and assess evidence. So, can the police track down VPN users who may be behind serious internet crimes?
VPN data collection and retention practices
VPN providers operate according to data retention and collection policies. However, there are three main logging policies that VPN services can follow:
- Usage information. VPN tools monitor customer activities, including visited websites.
- Collected contact logs. This data consists of connection and termination times, real IP addresses, and a list of connected servers.
- No data about your browsing or identity. To ensure transparency, some VPN providers have a strict no-logs policy. This concept relates to the fact that the tools collect only basic information, usually for billing or troubleshooting. Atlas VPN also takes this approach of collecting only essential data to provide services. In addition, we do not keep data about your online activities.
Services operating in the European Union must comply with applicable data retention laws. Companies need to store electronic data for at least six months (but up to two years) in the European Union. Atlas VPN operates outside the jurisdiction of the European Union and has no obligations to retain data for longer than necessary to provide services.
Police can track VPN services and users?
After clients download the VPN tools and connect to the servers, they are (more or less) anonymous. Escaping the careful eye of your ISP is tough. Fortunately, connecting to a VPN server prevents ISPs from tracking your every move. However, there is one thing they do know: that you are using a VPN.
When collecting evidence, the police will find the suspected IP address through a forensic investigation. Then they will identify its owner. Administrators will likely decide that it belongs to a VPN service. Hence, law enforcement agencies will contact the VPN provider. How events develop depends on the services’ policies on data sharing. Since most providers rely on a privacy-first approach, they provide limited information, with no personally identifiable details. However, cybercriminals have nothing to celebrate.
The police and other law enforcement agencies cooperate with skilled teams of professionals, ready to locate suspects. This collaboration between officers and IT experts is pushing cybersecurity in the right direction.
Are there any other reasons to track VPN users?
Law-abiding citizens may be skeptical about the legitimacy of VPNs. Fortunately, most countries have few or no restrictions on the use of such tools. Every rule has some exceptions. Some governments strictly require citizens to use only state-approved VPNs. Others block VPNs entirely. Countries like India, China, Russia, and Iran treat VPNs as very problematic. In these areas, the original question of “Can the police track VPN users” is more bleak.
In 2020, attempts to evade a social media ban using VPNs in Kashmir led to prosecution. Since Kashmir lost its semi-autonomous status, the Indian government has been wary about the spread of information outside the region. Similar incidents against users’ free speech have occurred in China as well. In 2017, the Chinese government indicted a man for distributing VPNs as a tool to bypass the “Great Firewall”. In fact, many regions in China may face serious consequences from the local authorities for such “crimes”. Hence, in these countries, the police can implement strict monitoring to track VPN users.
Millions of Internet users express their desire to access the external realms of that international experience. Unfortunately, governments have intensified crackdowns on VPN services. However, unreasonable censorship and strict censorship negate people’s rights to transparency and equality in the reporting of international news.
Conclusion: Can the Police Track VPN Users and Their Activities?
So, can the police track VPN users? It may seem that they can, but only to an extent. After retrieving the IP address of the respective user, the officers can contact the VPN providers. With a court order, law enforcement agencies can request contact records or similar pieces of information. Furthermore, the VPN stops tracking IP rules, which means that other technologies can still be applied to you. Thus, cybercriminals should not rely on VPNs to hide their criminal activities.
Atlas VPN tries to maintain a balance between offering anonymity and condemning illegal actions online. We are excited to provide users with more opportunities, access options, and safer browsing in general. However, we will not ignore any attempts to exploit our services for malicious matters.
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