Kidflix, one of the largest paedophile platforms in the world, has been shut down in a major international operation against child sexual exploitation. The investigation was led by the State Criminal Police of Bavaria (Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt) and the Bavarian Central Office for the Prosecution of Cybercrime (ZCB), with support from Europol. Over 35 countries participated in the operation, making it one of the largest crackdowns of its kind.
How the Operation Unfolded
The investigation began in 2022 and culminated in coordinated action weeks from 10 to 23 March 2025. Authorities seized Kidflix’s server on 11 March 2025, which at the time contained around 72,000 videos. The platform had amassed approximately 1.8 million users worldwide between April 2022 and March 2025.
Scale of the Investigation
The takedown of Kidflix resulted in significant law enforcement actions worldwide:
- 1,393 suspects identified
- 79 arrests made
- Over 3,000 electronic devices seized
- 39 children rescued and protected
- 91,000 unique CSAM videos uncovered
Unlike other platforms, Kidflix allowed users to stream child sexual abuse material (CSAM) instead of just downloading it. Offenders made payments using cryptocurrencies, which were converted into tokens. Users could earn tokens by uploading content, verifying titles, and categorizing videos. The platform hosted videos in different quality levels, requiring users to pay for high-resolution versions.
Origins and Growth of Kidflix
Kidflix was created in 2021 by a cybercriminal who profited heavily from the platform. It quickly became one of the most popular sites for paedophiles, with an average of 3.5 new videos uploaded per hour. Many of these videos were previously unknown to law enforcement.
Europol’s Largest Child Exploitation Operation
Operation Stream is the largest child sexual exploitation case Europol has ever handled. Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) played a critical role in supporting national authorities, analyzing thousands of videos, cross-checking data, and coordinating evidence exchange. Given the scale of the case, Europol’s coordination of cross-border cooperation was essential.
Catherine De Bolle, Europol Executive Director, emphasized:
“The digital dimension has driven a rapid evolution in online child sexual exploitation, offering offenders a borderless platform to contact and groom victims, as well as to create, store, and exchange child sexual abuse material. There are real victims behind these crimes, and those victims are children. As a society, we must act to protect our children.”
Magnus Brunner, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, added:
“The dismantling of this criminal network demonstrates the added value that EU agencies like Europol provide. Criminals operate across borders, so we must also support investigators in doing the same.”
Ongoing Threat and Continued Efforts
Child sexual exploitation remains a major threat, as highlighted in the latest EU Serious Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA) report. Despite efforts to combat online exploitation, digital platforms continue to provide offenders with tools to contact victims, store content, and exchange material.
Authorities have found that most suspects in Operation Stream were already in Europol’s databases, confirming that child exploitation offenders often have prior criminal records.
Europol continues to prioritize child protection initiatives such as Stop Child Abuse – Trace An Object, which invites the public to help identify clues that can lead to the rescue of victims. Europol also holds a Victim Identification Taskforce twice a year, bringing together global law enforcement agencies to identify and protect children.
Global Cooperation: Countries Involved in Operation Stream
This operation was made possible through international cooperation. The following 38 countries played a role in identifying suspects, seizing evidence, and rescuing victims:
1. Albania: Albanian State Police, Directorate for the Investigation of Cyber Crime in the Criminal Police Department and Directorate of the Special Operational Force (Policia e Shtetit, Drejtoria për Hetimin e Krimeve Kibernetike, Drejtoria e Forcës së Posaçme Operacionale)
2. Australia: Australian Federal Police (AFP)
3. Austria: Criminal Intelligence Service (Bundeskriminalamt)
4. Belgium: Belgian Federal Police (Federale Politie / Police Fédérale)
5. Bulgaria: Cybercrime Directorate – General Directorate for Combating Organized Crimes, Ministry of Interior (Дирекция “Киберпрестъпност” – Главна дирекция “Борба с организираната престъпност”, Министерство на вътрешните работи)
6. Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted police (RCMP) – National Child Exploitation Crime Centre (NCECC), Ontario Provincial Police, Ottawa Police, Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit, Northern Alberta Integrated Child Exploitation Unit
7. Colombia: Police Cybernetic Center C4 (Policía Nacional de Colombia), National Police of Colombia (Dirección de Investigación Criminal e Interpol), Criminal Investigation and Interpol Directorate (Centro Cibernético Policial C4)
8. Croatia: National Cybercrime Department (Služba kibernetičke sigurnosti)
9. Cyprus: Cybercrime Unit – Cyprus Police (Υποδιεύθυνση Ηλεκτρονικού Εγκλήματος – Αστυνομία Κύπρου)
10. Czech Republic: Bureau of Criminal Police and Investigation Service, Criminal Police and Investigation Service of the Regional Police Directorate of the Capital City of Prague, Criminal Police and Investigation Service of the Regional Police Directorate of Liberec, Ústí nad Labem, Pardubice, South Bohemian, Plzeň and South Moravian
11. Denmark: National Cyber Crime Centre (NC3) at Special Crime Unit (SCU/NSK) and Danish National Police (Dansk Politi)
12. Estonia: Estonian Police, Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet)
13. Finland: National Bureau of Investigation (Keskusrikospoliisi), Western Uusimaa Police Department (Länsi-Uudenmaan poliisilaitos), Eastern Finland Police Department (Itä-Suomen poliisilaitos), Oulu Police Department (Oulun poliisilaitos)
14. France: Police department for the protection of children (OFMIN) of the national directorate of judicial police (DNPJ)
15. Germany: State Criminal Police of Bavaria (Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt), Bavarian Central Office for the Prosecution of Cybercrime (ZCB)
16. Georgia: Central Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia (საქართველოს შინაგან საქმეთა სამინისტროს ცენტრალური კრიმინალური პოლიციის დეპარტამენტი)
17. Greece: Cyber Crime Division (Διεύθυνση Δίωξης Ηλεκτρονικού Εγκλήματος)
18. Hungary: National Bureau of Investigation Cybercrime Department Investigative Division (Nemzeti Nyomozó Iroda Kiberbűnözés Elleni Főosztály Nyomozó Osztály)
19. Iceland: Reykjavik metropolitan police (Lögreglan á Höfuðborgarsvæðinu)
20. Ireland: An Garda Síochána
21. Italy: National Police – Postal and Cyber Security Police Service (Polizia di Stato – Servizio Polizia Postale e per la Sicurezza Cibernetica)
22. Latvia: Cybercrime Enforcement Department of Central Criminal Police Department of the State Police of Latvia (Valsts policijas Galvenās kriminālpolicijas pārvaldes Kibernoziegumu apkarošanas pārvalde)
23. Lithuania: Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau (Lietuvos kriminalines policijos biuras)
24. Luxembourg: Police Luxembourg – Criminal Investigation Department – Sexual offences and juvenile delinquency (Police Luxembourg – Service de Police Judiciaire – Section Protection de la Jeunesse et Infractions à Caractère Sexuel)
25. Malta: Malta Police Force (Il-Korp tal- Pulizija ta’ Malta)
26. Netherlands: National Police (Politie)
27. New Zealand: New Zealand Police
28. Norway: NCIS – Norway (Kripos)
29. Poland: Central Cybercrime Bureau (CBZC)
30. Portugal: Judicial Police (Polícia Judiciária)
31. Romania: Romanian Police (Poliția Română).
32. Serbia: Service for combating High-Tech Crime, Directorate for Technology, Ministry of Internal Affairs (Služba za borbu protiv visokotehnološkog kriminala, Uprava za tehniku, Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova)
33. Slovakia: Police Force of the Slovak Republic (Policajný zbor Slovenskej republiky)
34. Spain: Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional)
35. Sweden: Swedish Police Authority, National Cybercrime centre CSE/CSA-team and the local CSA/CSE teams of region Stockholm, Mitt, Bergslagen and Syd (Polismyndigheten Nationellt IT-brottscentrum, Internetrelaterade sexuella övergrepp mot brott mot barn (ISÖB) and regionala ISÖB-grupperna i Stockholm, Mitt, Bergslagen och Syd)
36. Switzerland: Federal Office of Police fedpol (Bundesamt für Polizei fedpol), Police Basel-Landschaft (Polizei Basel-Landschaft), Aargau Cantonal Police (Kantonspolizei Aargau), Bern Cantonal Police (Kantonspolizei Bern), Geneva Cantonal Police (Police cantonale de Genève), Thurgau Cantonal Police (Kantonspolizei Thurgau), Vaud Cantonal Police (Police cantonale vaudoise), Zurich Cantonal Police (Kantonspolizei Zürich)
37. United Kingdom: National Crime Agency (NCA)
38. United States: Homeland Security Investigations
The shutdown of Kidflix marks a significant victory against online child exploitation, but authorities warn that the fight is far from over. With offenders constantly adapting to new technologies, global law enforcement remains committed to dismantling such platforms and bringing perpetrators to justice.
SOURCES : DBlog | www.digirefera.com
PHOTO & IMAGE CREDIT :
REFERENCES : Europol