PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

PCMag UK

Germany Seizes Server Hosting 'BlueLeaks' Data Dump on US Police Practices

The Wikileaks-like group that published the data dump says prosecutors in Germany forced the hosting provider to give up the server.

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
(Photo by Jan Woitas/picture alliance via Getty Images)

German authorities have confiscated a server hosting the “BlueLeaks” data dump, a 269GB trove of internal police documents that leaked last month.

The Wikileaks-style group Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDOS) had been using the server to enable the public to download the files, but prosecutors in Germany recently seized it, according to Emma Best, a journalist and co-founder of the group.

DDOS says it obtained the files from the “hacktivist” collective Anonymous, and then made the files searchable on a dedicated website on July 19. However, the site now appears to be down. 

According to Best, German authorities seized the “primary public download server” hosting the data dump without supplying an explanation. The hosting provider has only said the takedown came from the “department of public prosecution Zwickau,” which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

DDOS published the data to shine a light on police practices in the US. “The server was used ONLY to distribute data to the public,” Best added. “It had no contact with sources and was involved in nothing more than enlightening the public through journalistic publishing.”

However, the same data has been sourced back to a breach at Netsential, a company that provides web services for law enforcement agencies across the US. “Netsential can confirm its web servers were recently compromised,” the company said in a statement. “We are working with the appropriate law enforcement authorities regarding the breach, and we are fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.”

Twitter has also been blocking users from posting links to the BlueLeaks data dump, citing a 2019 policy that forbids hacked materials from being shared on the social media site. According to Twitter, the data dump also contains unredacted information on various people, which could put them in harm's way.  

Despite the server's confiscation, Best is indicating the BlueLeaks data dump won’t remain offline for long. “Don't worry. I've been planning for this for days. And days,” she said in a tweet. In addition, DDOS had been sharing the 269GB trove of information via a torrent download.

Further Reading

Security Reviews

Security Best Picks

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

Read the latest from Michael Kan

Read full bio