Amsterdam's AMS-IX handles over 10 Tbps of European internet traffic β more than almost any exchange on Earth. The 2018 Wiv (Sleepwet) law grants the AIVD intelligence service bulk access to cable traffic. Dutch voters said No. Parliament said yes anyway.
AMS-IX (Amsterdam Internet Exchange) is the world's largest internet exchange point by data volume. Every day, traffic from Asia to the UK, the US to Germany, and every European ISP flows through this facility. Under the Wiv 2017, the AIVD can conduct bulk interception of cables β without identifying specific suspects.
AMS-IX connects over 900 ISPs, CDNs, cloud providers and content networks β more than any other exchange.
At peak, more than 10 terabits per second of data flows through the Amsterdam exchange β enough to download 1,250 feature films per second.
AMS-IX operates across three physical colocation sites in Amsterdam, making it highly redundant β and comprehensively accessible.
In March 2018, the Netherlands held a non-binding referendum on the new Intelligence Law (Wiv 2017) β nicknamed the Sleepwet (Dragnet Law). A majority voted NO (49.4%). The government acknowledged the result, promised minor amendments, and implemented the law anyway.
BREIN (the Dutch equivalent of the MPAA) obtains court orders requiring every Dutch ISP to block specific domains. The list is maintained privately and updated regularly without public notice.
Whether you're protecting yourself from bulk surveillance or bypassing BREIN's blocklist, a VPN gives you back the open internet the Wiv law took away.
"I voted No in the Sleepwet referendum. It passed anyway. A VPN is the only practical response when the democratic system fails."
Pieter V.Amsterdam"BREIN blocked a site I used for work research β completely legitimate content. Getting around it took 30 seconds with Horizon VPN."
Emma d.B.Rotterdam"I work in tech. Knowing AMS-IX is the world's largest exchange and the AIVD has access to it without individual suspicion is genuinely alarming."
Lars K.Utrecht"I travel to Belgium and Germany regularly for work. Dutch streaming services are blocked the moment I cross the border. VPN solves that instantly."
Sophie H.The Hague"The Netherlands has a reputation for liberal openness. The Sleepwet showed how quickly that can change when the government decides national security matters more."
Daan W.EindhovenYes. VPNs are completely legal in the Netherlands. There is no restriction on personal VPN use. The Netherlands has some of the most liberal digital rights frameworks in Europe, even as its surveillance laws expand.
The Wiv 2017 (Wet op de Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdiensten) grants the AIVD and MIVD powers to conduct bulk interception of internet cables. Unlike targeted surveillance, bulk collection doesn't require individual suspicion β traffic is collected first, then filtered. Citizens voted against it in a 2018 referendum; the law was implemented regardless.
BREIN is the Dutch anti-piracy foundation. It obtains court orders requiring ISPs to block specific domains at the DNS level. All major Dutch ISPs β KPN, Ziggo, T-Mobile NL β must comply. A VPN bypasses these DNS blocks by routing your traffic through a server in another jurisdiction.
The AIVD can intercept encrypted VPN packets flowing through AMS-IX, but they cannot read the contents. All they see is ciphertext destined for your VPN server. The content of your browsing, messaging, and downloads remains private.
Services like NPO Start, RTL XL, and Videoland license content per territory. EU copyright law allows geographic rights restrictions. When you travel outside the Netherlands, your IP indicates a foreign country and you're denied access β even to content you're entitled to watch. A VPN with a Dutch server bypasses this.
AMS-IX made Amsterdam the center of Europe's internet. A VPN makes sure that's not a liability.
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