Cloudflare blocks internet forum Kiwi Farms over 'threats to human life'

Digital infrastructure services provider Cloudflare announced that it has blocked US-based Internet forum Kiwi Farms over "imminent threats to human life".

The platform said that visitors to any of the Kiwi Farms sites that use any of Cloudflare's services will see a block page and a link to this post.

Kiwi Farms may move their sites to other providers and, in doing so, come back online, but Cloudflare said it has taken steps to block their content from being accessed through our infrastructure.

"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," the services provider said in a blogpost.

"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," it added.

The company mentioned that Kiwi Farms has frequently been host to revolting content.

"Revolting content alone does not create an emergency situation that necessitates the action we are taking today," Cloudflare said.

"Beginning approximately two weeks ago, a pressure campaign started with the goal to deplatform Kiwi Farms. That pressure campaign targeted Cloudflare as well as other providers utilised by the site," it added.

Cloudflare said it provides security services to Kiwi Farms, protecting them from DDoS and other cyberattacks and also mentioned that it has never been their hosting provider.

"As we outlined last Wednesday, we do not believe that terminating security services is appropriate, even to revolting content. In a law-respecting world, the answer to even illegal content is not to use other illegal means like DDoS attacks to silence it," the company said.

"We are also not taking this action directly because of the pressure campaign. While we have empathy for its organisers, 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," it added.

--IANS

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