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The full episode, in writing.
It’s September 2022. Cloudflare, one of the internet’s biggest security firms, suddenly pulls all protection from Kiwi Farms. Within hours, the notorious forum is virtually gone, its servers battered by the traffic and attacks Cloudflare once shielded it from. This decision doesn’t just silence a website—it signals a new front in the fight against online harassment.
But to understand why Cloudflare’s move made headlines worldwide, we have to rewind nearly a decade. Kiwi Farms didn’t appear out of nowhere. It started in 2013, built by Joshua Moon. At the time, it was a niche forum devoted to discussing and ridiculing online personalities. That was the stated premise. But as the site grew, its purpose shifted. By 2014, Kiwi Farms was already infamous within certain internet circles. Discussions weren’t just critical or mocking—they turned coordinated, targeting specific people, especially those from marginalized communities.
Between 2014 and 2016, the site’s reach and notoriety exploded. Kiwi Farms became a central hub for doxxing: leaking private addresses, phone numbers, and identifying information about its targets. The forum wasn’t just talking—it was acting. Swatting incidents, where fake emergency calls sent armed police to unsuspecting victims, began to be linked to users of the site. Each swatting episode risked lives. The sheer volume of personal details shared made it nearly impossible for certain individuals to stay safe or anonymous online.
2019 marked a new low. Several high-profile doxxing and swatting incidents were traced back to activity on Kiwi Farms. For those being targeted, the site wasn’t an abstract threat—it was a clear and present danger. Media outlets started connecting the dots, showing how posts on Kiwi Farms often led to real-world consequences: lost jobs, mental health crises, and police interventions. Advocacy groups ramped up pressure, but the site’s administrators, led by Joshua Moon, resisted calls to moderate or remove content.
By 2021, the backlash against Kiwi Farms grew louder. Several people targeted by the site started speaking out publicly. Their stories—of harassment, fear, and relentless pursuit—went viral. News articles, Twitter threads, and YouTube videos brought the reality of online harassment to a much wider audience. For the first time, there were calls not just to moderate the site, but to take it offline entirely. At the same time, major internet infrastructure companies began facing serious questions about their role. Was it enough to be “neutral” if your services enabled harassment?
The summer of 2022 brought the turning point. In August, Clara Sorrenti, a transgender activist and Twitch streamer known as Keffals, became the site’s primary target. It wasn’t new for Kiwi Farms to focus on members of marginalized groups, but Sorrenti’s visibility and her willingness to fight back changed the dynamics. After enduring doxxing, threats, and attempts to swat her, Sorrenti launched the “Drop Kiwi Farms” campaign. Her demand was clear: force the companies providing Kiwi Farms with technical support to cut them off.
The campaign gained traction with lightning speed. Sorrenti’s position as a public figure, especially in the gaming and streaming world, fueled support. Thousands joined her calls on social media, tagging companies and demanding answers. Advocacy groups and journalists picked up the story. Headlines followed. For many, it was the first time they’d heard of Kiwi Farms—but the stories attached to it were impossible to ignore.
Cloudflare, a company that had often taken a hands-off approach to moderation, found itself at the center of the storm. For years, it had argued that even the most toxic websites deserved security and protection from attacks. But now the pressure was unlike anything before. As the “Drop Kiwi Farms” campaign gained momentum, Cloudflare’s executives began to feel the heat. The core issue wasn’t just free speech—it was the real-world harm being enabled by their services.
By early September 2022, Cloudflare made its move. The firm announced it was terminating all services to Kiwi Farms, calling it the most dangerous customer they’d ever had. The decision was immediate and irreversible. Without Cloudflare’s shield, Kiwi Farms was vulnerable. Malicious traffic quickly overwhelmed the site. Attempts were made to stay online using alternative service providers, but each new provider faced similar public backlash and technical threats.
This wasn’t just a technical problem. For years, online harassment victims had argued that infrastructure companies—those who controlled the backbone of the internet—held the real power. Cloudflare’s action proved this true. The company’s decision effectively deplatformed Kiwi Farms in a way that individual bans or content removals never could. It set a precedent, sparking debates far beyond the immediate drama.
The “Drop Kiwi Farms” campaign became a case study in digital activism. One person’s story, amplified by social media, had forced a global technology company to change its stance. Mainstream news outlets began examining how online safety and infrastructure were connected. Other companies watched closely, weighing their own policies about which sites they’d protect.
After Cloudflare’s termination, Kiwi Farms was never the same. The forum’s activity dropped dramatically. Attempts to revive the site through alternative hosts were met with continuous obstacles: new providers would come under pressure, face technical problems, or simply refuse service. Sustained public attention made it nearly impossible for Kiwi Farms to regain its former foothold.
The story’s rapid spread came down to a few core factors. First, the involvement of a high-profile streaming figure like Clara Sorrenti gave the issue reach far beyond niche internet communities. Second, the campaign made the dangers of online harassment concrete and personal. The risks weren’t theoretical—people could see the direct line from posts on Kiwi Farms to police raids and personal danger. Finally, the visible impact of digital activism showed a path forward for other movements. The idea that you could push a giant like Cloudflare to change policy was powerful.
Where things stand now is stark. Kiwi Farms, once a hub for coordinated harassment, is a shadow of its former self. Its influence in online drama and harassment campaigns is diminished. The ongoing deplatforming efforts, paired with public scrutiny, have made it almost impossible for the site to operate at scale.
The debates that have emerged from this saga remain heated. Free speech advocates worry about the precedent set by deplatforming—if one site can be pushed offline, what’s to stop the same from happening to others? On the other side, digital safety advocates point to Kiwi Farms’ track record: real-world harm, trauma, and even threats to life. Service providers now face unprecedented scrutiny about what kinds of sites they’re willing to protect.
Some argue deplatforming is the only effective way to combat egregious online abuse. Others counter that it risks pushing dangerous communities further underground, where they’re harder to monitor. There’s also the lingering question about the role and responsibility of companies like Cloudflare. Should they act as gatekeepers, or remain neutral regardless of the content they enable?
As of now, the Kiwi Farms episode is still a touchstone in debates about online harassment and digital infrastructure. People continue to argue over whether Cloudflare’s decision was justified, and what it means for the future of the internet. Every time a new controversy erupts online, Kiwi Farms’ story resurfaces as a warning and a precedent—reminding everyone just how fast a campaign can bring even the most entrenched platforms to their knees.