79 Arrested As Dark Web’s Largest Child Abuse Network ‘kidflix’ Busted

In a awesome world crackdown, rule enforcement agencies person taken down “Kidflix,” 1 of nan largest known kid intersexual maltreatment worldly (CSAM) websites connected nan dark web. The platform, which had complete 1.8 cardinal registered users, was dismantled connected March 11, 2025, successful a coordinated effort involving authorities from much than 35 countries.

3.5 CSAM Videos Uploaded Every Hour

Authorities opportunity nan level was progressive from 2021 until its seizure and was designed to turn fast. Kidflix allowed users to watercourse and download CSAM and utilized a strategy that rewarded uploads and engagement pinch cryptocurrency-based tokens. These tokens could beryllium utilized to unlock higher-quality versions of nan content.

The standard of nan maltreatment is massive. The level hosted astir 91,000 unsocial videos, totaling much than 6,200 hours of CSAM. On average, 3.5 caller videos were uploaded each hour, galore of which had ne'er been seen by investigators before.

Arrests and Devices Seized

According to Europol’s press release, truthful far, 79 group person been arrested successful relationship pinch nan site, including immoderate who were straight progressive successful abusing children. Law enforcement has identified astir 1,400 suspects, and nan investigation is still ongoing. Officials besides seized complete 3,000 physics devices and rescued 39 children from vulnerable situations.

Seized tract (Screenshot: Europol)

A Maliciously Profitable and Calculated Operation

Kidflix wasn’t conscionable different hidden area of nan web. It was a highly organized and profitable operation. Users could gain tokens by uploading CSAM, tagging content, and verifying video descriptions. These tokens allowed them to entree much material, efficaciously creating a strategy wherever maltreatment was monetised and encouraged.

The site’s infrastructure supported video streaming successful low, medium, and precocious quality, a characteristic that group it isolated from galore different akin platforms and made it moreover much charismatic to predators.

Europol’s Largest Child Exploitation Case

This investigation, dubbed Operation Stream, began successful 2022 and culminated successful 2 weeks of coordinated actions successful March 2025. Europol supported nan cognition by helping process and analyse thousands of videos and cross-referencing grounds crossed borders.

“This is not conscionable a cybercrime issue. Behind each video is simply a kid who has knowledgeable existent abuse,” said Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle. “This benignant of level allows that maltreatment to beryllium shared and perpetuated crossed nan world. We must extremity it astatine nan source.”

Global Collaboration

The occurrence of nan cognition relied heavy connected world teamwork. Agencies from nan United States, nan United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, and dozens much played a domiciled successful search suspects, securing integer evidence, and identifying victims.

The server infrastructure down Kidflix was seized by German and Dutch authorities, halting its operations and shutting disconnected entree to nan immense contented archive.