What “no-logs” actually means
“No-logs” is one of the most searched phrases in the VPN market, and one of the least defined. Here is what the words mean when they are honest, what Arresti keeps, and what the phrase does not do.
The short version
- No-logs, used honestly, means the provider does not store a browsing or activity history.
- It is a storage claim, not a claim that traffic never touches a server.
- Arresti collects your email (that is your username), the country you are in, and payment through Stripe. No names. No demographics. No browsing logs.
- Account information we do hold can still be disclosed if a valid legal request arrives. There is no browsing history to hand over.
- No-logs is not anonymity and it is not a crime shield. Logged-in sites still know you.
What the phrase actually means
When someone says “no-logs,” they are supposed to mean this: the company does not store a history of your browsing. Not the sites you opened. Not the apps you used inside the tunnel. Not the content of the connection.
That is a storage claim. It is not a claim that traffic never touches a server. A VPN works by sending your traffic through a server you choose. If packets did not arrive there, there would be no tunnel. Honest no-logs language is about what is written down and kept after the session — not a story that the internet becomes invisible.
Marketing often uses the same two words for something thinner. “We delete logs after 30 days.” “We do not sell data to advertisers.” “We keep connection timestamps but not URLs.” Those can be real policies. They are not the same as “we do not store browsing activity.” If a company will not say what they keep, treat the slogan as fluff.
Arresti’s version is written down. We do not store records of your browsing activity, the sites you visit, or your connection content. That sentence is in the Privacy Policy. It is the one we will stand behind.
What Arresti does collect
We collect your email. That is your username. We collect the country you are in. Payment is handled by Stripe. We do not collect, see, or store your full card number.
No names. No demographics. No browsing logs.
We also hold the ordinary account facts any paid service needs: when the account was created, whether the subscription is current. If you email support, we will have the message you sent. Stripe keeps the payment record under Stripe’s own policy.
That is a short list on purpose. A VPN company that also wants your date of birth, your employer, and a browsing dossier is collecting for a different business than the one we run. If you want the formal list, it is in the Privacy Policy. This page is the plain-English one.
What a VPN can still see when you connect
When you tap Connect, your device builds an encrypted tunnel to a server. The cafe Wi-Fi, or your home ISP, can see that you are connected to Arresti. They cannot easily see which sites you are opening inside the tunnel. That is the usual reason people turn one on — a shared network, travel, sometimes just to stop an ISP building a picture of every site you visit. See public Wi-Fi in Australia and why a VPN matters when you travel.
The VPN server is in the path. For the length of the session it is handling your traffic. That is how a tunnel works. A no-logs policy does not turn the server into a black hole. It means we do not keep a browsing history afterwards.
We will not write “we physically cannot see anything.” We also will not write a thriller about what a provider “could” reconstruct if they chose to. The useful split is simple: what can pass through in the moment, versus what is stored. Arresti does not store browsing activity.
Your ISP’s view stays limited to “this device is talking to Arresti, and this much data moved.” That is still information. It is not a site-by-site diary. The same idea applies on hotel and airport networks — the operator can see that a VPN is on. They should not get a free look at the pages inside. More on that in how a VPN protects you on public Wi-Fi.
Why an Australian company can still be asked for data
Company jurisdiction matters because courts and agencies send requests to companies they can reach. Arresti is an Australian company. We can receive valid Australian legal requests. We would have to respond. We do not claim immunity from lawful requests.
If you hold no browsing logs, there is no browsing history to hand over. Account and subscription information you do hold can still be disclosed — your email, your subscription status. That pairing is the honest one. It is also in the Privacy Policy.
Using a VPN is legal in Australia for ordinary privacy and security. You are still responsible for the law and for the terms of the services you use. The longer version is Is a VPN legal in Australia? This post is about logs, not a second legal explainer.
Server location is a separate knob. If you connect through a server in a given country, that country’s law can still apply to that server. We do not pretend otherwise. Pick the server that matches what you care about.
This is how we run the service. It is not legal advice.
No-logs is not anonymity
A VPN encrypts the path between your device and the server you choose. It does not make you someone else on a site where you are logged in. Internet banking still knows you. Email still knows you. The social network you opened with a password still knows you.
It is not a crime shield. What was already illegal on a normal connection is still illegal through a VPN. We say that on the features page because it is true.
No-logs also does not mean untraceable, and we will not sell that word. The email you used to sign up exists. The Stripe payment exists. The site you logged into exists. Privacy on a network you do not control is a real job. Disappearing from the internet is not a product we offer.
The short product version
Australian-owned. Veteran-owned. One plan. All servers. Up to 5 devices. AUD $3.99 a month, or AUD $43 a year. 30-day money-back guarantee on top of your rights under the Australian Consumer Law — not instead of them.
Create an account. Install the app, tap Connect. Under three minutes on a phone. Cancel anytime.
If you still have a “but what do you actually keep?” question, the FAQ says the same thing we said here. So does the Privacy Policy.