The content creator Keffals recently managed to convince the security provider Cloudflare to block the controversial website Kiwi Farms. Keffals previously described the website as an "extremist” and "transphobic hate forum," accusing Kiwi Farms of stalking several different streamers, publishing personal information, and being ultimately responsible for multiple suicides.
Keffals claims that Kiwi Farms forced them into hiding following a series of attacks including a swatting incident which resulted in a brief detention by police. The streamer announced earlier this week that a protest would be held outside the Cloudflare Connect conference on October 18, 2022 unless the company agreed to help them prevent further attacks from Kiwi Farms. Keffals noted how they were in contact with multiple activist groups.
Cloudflare has finally agreed to help Keffals, pointing to an “unprecedented emergency and immediate threat to human life unlike we have previously seen from Kiwi Farms or any other customer before.” The response from the community has been extremely positive.
“We just blocked Kiwifarms,” Chief Executive Officer at Cloudflare Matthew Prince remarked on Twitter. “The threats on the site escalated enough in the last 48 hours that in spite of proactively working with law enforcement, it became enough of an imminent emergency that we could no longer wait for them to act.”
“Kiwi Farms may move their site to other providers and in doing so, come back online, but we have taken steps to block their content from being accessed through our infrastructure,” the official announcement reads. “This is an extraordinary decision for us to make and given Cloudflare's role as an internet infrastructure provider, a dangerous one that we are not comfortable with. However, the rhetoric on the Kiwi Farms site and specific, targeted threats have escalated over the last 48 hours to the point that we believe there is an unprecedented emergency and immediate threat to human life unlike we have previously seen from Kiwi Farms or any other customer before.”
Cloudflare acknowledged the protest launched by Keffals, noting that “beginning approximately two weeks ago, a pressure campaign started with the goal to deplatform Kiwi Farms.” The company explained that “while we have empathy for its organizers, we are committed as a security provider to protecting our customers even when they run deeply afoul of popular opinion or even our own morals,” but noted that “as the pressure campaign escalated, so did the rhetoric on the Kiwi Farms site. Feeling attacked, users of the site became even more aggressive.”
The company expressed concerns that blocking Kiwi Farms could further aggravate the situation. “We are aware and concerned that our action may only fan the flames of this emergency,” the official announcement noted. “Kiwi Farms itself will most likely find other infrastructure that allows them to come back online,” adding that “even if they don't, the individuals that used the site to increasingly terrorize will feel even more isolated and attacked and may lash out further. There is real risk that by taking this action today, we may have further heightened the emergency.”
Keffals remains in hiding to this day and there is currently no end in sight for the ongoing attacks. While many in the community have come together in support of the streamer, friends and followers are effectively powerless to stop the situation from further escalation.
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