Great success in the fight against pedophilia: Darknet platform exposed!

Great success in the fight against pedophilia: Darknet platform exposed!

On April 2, 2025, there was a groundbreaking success in the fight against child pornography by shutting down the darknet platform “KidFlix”. This platform, launched in 2021, had about 1.8 million registered users as of April 2022. A large-scale police operation, supported by Europol, led to the identification of almost 1,400 suspects as part of the investigation that began in 2022. Loud Cosmo The platform contained serious acts of sexual abuse against children, toddlers and babies, which were made available in high quality videos.

Users of the platform were able to gain access to over 91,000 videos through cryptocurrencies, totaling 6,288 hours of material. Before the platform was shut down, an average of three and a half new videos were uploaded per hour. The operation is considered one of the largest in the world in the field of pedophilia and represents the most comprehensive campaign against sexual abuse of children in Europe.

International cooperation

As part of the investigation, Europol published a list of 38 countries involved in the investigation, including Germany, Austria, Belgium, Canada and the USA. In total, 79 people were arrested as part of this operation, including some who were actively involved in the abuse.

The Central Office for Combating Sexual Offenses Harmful to Children and Young People, which is run in Germany by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), plays a central role in the area of ​​sexual abuse. This office was set up in the mid-1990s to counteract the increase in depictions of abuse on the Internet. The BKA receives thousands of tips about possible criminal offenses every year. In 2023 there were around 180,300 tips that were viewed by a specially trained team, as the BKA explains on its website: BKA.

Tasks of the BKA

The aim of the central office is to relieve the burden on the state police authorities and avoid duplication of effort. She works closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the USA to filter depictions of abuse. Recognized files are deleted by Internet providers and information is transmitted to the NCMEC. Suspicious activity reports are forwarded to the relevant police authorities based on IP addresses.

If a case of abuse is discovered, the BKA will immediately begin its own investigation. In serious cases, the BKA carries out the investigation on behalf of the public prosecutor's office and in other cases works with the state authorities. This high level of care is necessary to quickly identify potential abuse and prosecute the perpetrators responsible.

In summary, this comprehensive police operation shows the seriousness and commitment of the international community in the fight against the sexual abuse of children and young people. The “KidFlix” case is an impressive example of the success of these efforts.