Comparing VPN Privacy Jurisdictions

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Here's a detailed, up-to-date comparison of the most popular VPN jurisdictions, as of February 2026, based on privacy, data protection, and user risks.

I rank countries based on how secure they are for VPN traffic and logs (if any are kept at all), not on the overall level of privacy in the country.

Place	Page	VPN Privacy Level (2026)	Key benefits for a VPN user	Key downsides/real risks in 2026	Examples of VPN services (2026)	Recommendation for maximum privacy
1	Switzerland	★★★★★ (leader)	No mandatory retention logs, strong banking laws, complex court order, outside the EU/14 Eyes	May cooperate under MLAT with the US/EU for serious crimes, but only after trial	Proton VPN, VyprVPN (Golden Frog), Perfect Privacy	The #1 choice for most serious users
2	Iceland	★★★★☆	No retention logs, strong free speech protections, non-EU/14 Eyes	Small country, may be vulnerable to pressure from the US/EU	OrangeWebsite VPN, FlokiNET VPN	An excellent choice for journalists and activists
3	Romania	★★★★	No mandatory retention logs (court decision 2014), outside of 14 Eyes	Weak economy, EU/US pressure, possible corruption	CyberGhost, VPN.ac, AzireVPN	The most popular budget option with good privacy
4	Panama	★★★☆	No retention logs, outside of major alliances	Weak legal system, easily susceptible to US pressure (CLOUD Act-style)	NordVPN (moved there earlier), HideMyAss (older versions)	Only if you need an offshore without Western cooperation
5	British Virgin Islands (BVI)	★★★	No retention, outside 14 Eyes, offshore jurisdiction	British territory → there may be pressure through the UK, weak judicial protection	ExpressVPN, Surfshark, PureVPN	A good mid-range option, but no longer top-notch.
6	Malaysia	★★☆	No retention logs outside of 14 Eyes	Weak data protection, possible coercion to extradite, internet censorship	HideMyAss (part), some Asian VPNs	Risky for serious scenarios
7	Germany	★★–★	Very strong GDPR, strong courts	Mandatory metadata retention (10 weeks), EU cooperation	Mullvad (moved to Sweden), some German VPNs	Avoid VPNs in 2026
8	Netherlands	★★	GDPR, many data centers	Metadata retention (6–12 months), active cooperation in the EU	Mullvad (formerly), some Dutch servers	Not recommended
9	USA	★–☆	Huge selection of servers, good speed	PATRIOT Act, CLOUD Act, FISA 702, 5/9/14 Eyes, mass metadata collection	Almost all major VPNs have servers, but not headquarters.	Avoid headquarters at all costs
10	Russia	★–☆	No extradition on US/EU requests (political)	SORM, the FSB has access to everything, Tor/VPN blocking, censorship	There are no serious privacy VPNs	Strongly not recommended

VPN Jurisdiction Summary in 2026​

Goal/priority	Best Jurisdiction in 2026	Why exactly her?
Maximum privacy and protection from coercion	Switzerland	The most powerful combination of laws and independence
Maximum protection against reading logs + cryptography	Switzerland (Proton VPN)	Audits, no-logs policy, strong laws
Cheap and reliable	Romania	No retention, outside of 14 Eyes, many cheap providers
Journalism / activism / censorship circumvention	Switzerland or Iceland	Strong protection of free speech
Offshore without Western cooperation	Panama / BVI	Weak guarantees, but outside the main alliances
Maximum speed and number of servers	Netherlands / Germany / USA	But privacy suffers greatly

The most frequent elections in 2026 among those who truly care about privacy​

• #1 Choice for Serious Users → Switzerland (Proton VPN)
• #2 Choice (Budget + Privacy) → Romania (CyberGhost, VPN.ac)
• #3 Choice (Offshore + Reputation) → British Virgin Islands (ExpressVPN, Surfshark)
• For maximum paranoia → Iceland or a combination of Mullvad (Sweden) + Tuta (Germany) + Tor

If you're choosing a VPN for a specific purpose (for example, successful internet banking, bypassing censorship in your country, protection from surveillance, crypto transactions, or just everyday security), let me know, and I'll give you the most accurate advice tailored to your specific needs.