What this site is, and isn't.

The directory, not the marketplace

Europa is this directory site, operated by WesternBTC. The underlying VPN Marketplace is an open, brand-neutral protocol (CC0) running on the Nostr network. The protocol exists with or without this directory. Other directories may exist and may make different editorial choices than we do.

We read publicly published listings, recommendations, and reports off the Nostr network and render them here. We do not host the listings; the Nostr servers do.

Browsing is free, always

The directory, the map, filters, recommendation weighting by people you follow, recommending operators, reporting operators — all of that is free. We don't gate any of those behind a paid plan and we don't intend to.

The optional supporter membership exists to fund the directory's operation. It is not a precondition for using it.

Supporter membership (optional)

Signed-in users can claim a one-time 30-day supporter trial. After that, supporter status can be extended by paying for a 30-day or 365-day plan with Bitcoin (Lightning or on-chain).

Supporter membership currently unlocks one thing: a small star next to your published recommendations and reports in Europa's UI. Future supporter-only surfaces — saved searches, per-region alerts, custom server preferences — are not built yet and may never ship. The honest reading today is that you're paying to keep this directory running.

The membership state is shared across WesternBTC products — a single supporter status recognizes you at Europa and at any other WesternBTC site using the same membership record. See the Privacy page for what data lives in that record.

No refunds, no recurring charges, no auto-renewal. A paid plan extends supporter status by the chosen number of days, then expires. You buy another bundle if you want to keep supporting. We treat payments as final the moment they confirm — no chargebacks, no retroactive cancellation.

Operators are independent third parties

The VPN operators listed in our directory are not WesternBTC employees, contractors, or affiliates. We have not vetted, screened, or verified any of them — and we don't have the authority to. They:

• Self-declare their pricing, policies, region, capacity, and identity.
• Operate under whatever jurisdiction they choose.
• Set their own terms of service when you purchase from them.
• May vanish, change pricing, or rotate to a fresh account at any time, with no obligation to give notice.

Operator-declared information (region, policies, capacity, “no logs”) is the operator's claim, not a fact we verified. The recommendation signals you can opt into come from accounts you follow, not from us.

We don't handle VPN payments

When you buy VPN access from an operator, you connect to the operator's checkout directly. The funds move from your wallet to theirs over Bitcoin (Lightning or ecash). WesternBTC takes no fee, holds no escrow, and never sees the transaction.

That means:

• No refunds from us for VPN purchases. If an operator takes your payment and doesn't deliver, we cannot return your money. We don't have it.
• No dispute resolution from us. File a report against the operator if you want to warn other users; pick a different operator next time.
• No chargebacks. Bitcoin payments are final.

To bound your risk with an unknown operator, buy the smallest time bundle first (often one hour, a few cents) and scale up only after they actually deliver.

Editorial discretion

We may choose to deprioritise, unfeature, or stop displaying a particular listing in this directory for any reason — including but not limited to: malware distribution, doxxing, coordinated spam, or content that exposes WesternBTC to legal risk. Choosing not to feature a listing does not remove it from Nostr; the listing remains visible to anyone else who queries the network.

Supporter membership does not buy editorial influence. We don't accept paid placements; we don't deprioritise listings to push operators toward becoming supporters; and supporters do not get listing-visibility guarantees. The protocol layer is unaffected by either decision.

Your responsibility for what you do

Using a VPN doesn't change the law that applies to you. You remain responsible for:

• Knowing whether VPN use is legal where you live (in some jurisdictions, it isn't).
• What you do over the tunnel. Illegal activity over a VPN is still illegal.
• Tax treatment of any earnings if you run an operator yourself.
• Reading the operator's own terms before paying them.

Nothing on this site is legal advice. If your situation is high-risk, talk to a lawyer in your jurisdiction.

No warranties

The directory is provided as is, without warranties of any kind, express or implied. WesternBTC does not warrant that:

• Listings shown are accurate, up-to-date, or in good faith.
• Operators will deliver what they advertised.
• The site will be available, secure, or error-free at any particular time.
• Recommendations or reports from people you follow are reliable indicators of operator quality.
• Supporter status will continue to be worth its price (the feature set may not grow as quickly as you hope).

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, WesternBTC disclaims all liability for any loss arising from use of this site — including loss of funds paid to an operator, downtime of a purchased VPN session, exposure to malicious operators, actions taken in reliance on data sourced from the Nostr network, or any gap between expected and delivered supporter benefits.

If you run an operator

Running an exit VPN puts you in a particular legal position in your jurisdiction. WesternBTC is not your lawyer and cannot tell you whether it's permitted where you are. The operator guide covers the technical setup. The legal calls are yours.

Open-source code

The protocol specification is CC0 (public domain). The reference code in our monorepo — the directory site, the protocol package, the Europa Node — is MIT-licensed. You can fork either, run your own directory, or implement a competing operator. We don't hold trademarks on “VPN Marketplace” (the description) or “Europa” (our brand) in a way that restricts you. Standard MIT/CC0 conditions apply.

Changes to these terms

We update this page when something material changes. The effective date at the top tracks the most recent change. The full revision history is in git (github.com/WesternBTC) — no quiet rewrites.

Continued use of the site after material changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. If you don't agree with a change, the only consequence is you don't use the site — there's no account to deactivate. Supporter memberships purchased under prior terms remain valid for their bought duration regardless.