In a sweeping international operation dubbed Operation Stream, law enforcement agencies have dismantled what Europol calls one of the largest child exploitation platforms ever uncovered on the dark web. Known as Kidflix, the network had operated in nearly 35 countries, amassing over 1.8 million users and hosting 91,000 unique videos of child sexual abuse since its launch in 2021.
The takedown marks a critical victory in the ongoing war against darknet-facilitated child exploitation. Authorities confirmed that 79 suspects have been arrested so far, with nearly 1,400 more identified globally. The platform, which enabled both downloading and streaming of illicit content, also featured cryptocurrency-based payments and a token system rewarding users for uploading and categorizing material.
Investigators say Kidflix was not just a repository of horrific material—it was a highly profitable, gamified platform where users could earn tokens for participating in content verification and classification. The site was expanding rapidly, with an average of 3.5 new videos uploaded every hour before it was taken offline in March 2025.
In coordinated raids across 31 nations, police seized infrastructure, data, and terabytes of criminal content. One raid alone resulted in the recovery of 72,000 abuse videos. Disturbingly, cases included a 36-year-old man offering his own child for exploitation via the platform and a serial abuser tracked down in the United States.
Europol’s Deputy Director Guido Limmer called it the largest operation of its kind ever coordinated by the agency. Authorities have so far managed to identify and rescue 39 children as part of the investigation.
What made Kidflix especially difficult to detect was its use of encryption, decentralization, and tokenized crypto payments, resembling the architecture of modern darknet markets. Its takedown required deep collaboration between German law enforcement, Europol, and 36 partner countries.
In response to the evolving threat landscape, the European Commission has announced the ProtectEU strategy—a new internal security roadmap aimed at enhancing cyber threat detection and enabling lawful access to encrypted communications. A Technology Roadmap on Encryption, set for 2026, is expected to propose tools for balancing law enforcement capabilities with fundamental privacy rights.
Despite the successful takedown, experts warn the fight is far from over. As Europol’s officers noted: “The dark web is not anonymous. You may hide for a while—but not forever.”
