Cloudflare Terminated Over 21,000 Storage Accounts in 2025
The firm scaled its automated copyright enforcement during the first half of 2025 to manage rising takedown volumes.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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During the first half of 2025, Cloudflare terminated 21,218 R2 storage accounts amid a significant surge in copyright complaints. The company processed 19,817 of these account terminations automatically using a new API for rightsholders.
Why it matters
The shift toward automated enforcement reflects an ongoing effort to manage the high volume of claims regarding unlicensed live sports streaming and content piracy. As enforcement requests rise, infrastructure providers are increasingly relying on programmatic tools to process these takedowns at scale.
Cloudflare recorded 124,872 hosting-related copyright complaints in the first half of 2025, resulting in 54,357 total actions. This represents a 3,800% increase in takedown actions compared to the 1,394 instances recorded in the preceding six-month period.
The players
Cloudflare
A global infrastructure company that provides a content delivery network, DDoS mitigation services, and distributed storage.
The details
To manage incoming requests, Cloudflare implemented an API—an application programming interface that allows different software systems to communicate—granting rightsholders direct access to submit complaints. The firm also utilizes CDN pass-through services to geo-block pirate sites, a process where content delivery networks are restricted from routing traffic to specific domains based on court orders. These measures have been deployed alongside voluntary site-blocking initiatives in jurisdictions like the United Kingdom.
Timeline
First half of 2025: Cloudflare received 124,872 hosting-related copyright complaints and terminated 21,218 accounts.
The Tech Race
Cloudflare's move toward automated enforcement reflects a broader industry shift as infrastructure providers face mounting legal pressure to police content piracy. This strategy follows existing patterns seen in countries like Spain and Italy, where ISPs frequently block infrastructure to disrupt unlicensed streaming operations.
Users of Cloudflare's R2 storage service may see content removed or accounts terminated if they are found in violation of copyright policies. Because the process is now highly automated, creators relying on these services should ensure their content hosting complies with standard DMCA-style notice procedures.
The takeaway
The sharp increase in enforcement volume suggests that automated rights management is becoming a permanent fixture of cloud infrastructure operations. Readers should watch for future transparency reports to see if automated takedown rates continue to outpace manual processing.
Further reading
For more on how infrastructure providers manage emerging digital threats, visit our Cybersecurity section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Torrentfreak.
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Should companies like Cloudflare voluntarily block websites to assist in copyright enforcement?
