Solana meme coin platform Pump.Fun has removed its live-stream feature after facing backlash over scandalous live streams. The platform lets anyone create SOL/USD meme-tokens for free without coding experience, while simultaneously streaming the process to viewers. Many called for the platform to suspend its live-stream feature after reports of harmful and violent behavior on streams.
JUST IN: Pump․Fun removes its live-streaming feature.
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) November 25, 2024
“We acknowledge that recent events on our platform’s live streams have caused concern,” Pump.fun said in a statement. “We regret to hear of some of the experiences that users went through and take this opportunity to address them openly and directly.” The platform went on to announce it is pausing the live-streaming feature for an “indefinite time period” until “the moderation infrastructure is ready to deal with the heightened levels of activity.”
The platform still allows users to generate and trade meme coins independently but without live-stream capabilities. Recently, multiple dangerous instances were captured live on stream, some involving minors.
Controversies on Pump.Fun Live Stream Service
Beau, a safety product manager at Pudgy Penguins, reported one incident where one user allegedly threatened to hang themselves if their token failed to reach a specified market cap. The situation escalated when Beau revealed that the individual shared a recording appearing to show them carrying out the threat.
Other incidents include a user allegedly firing a gun out of a window each time their meme coin’s value increased. A child also allegedly threatened harm to family members with a shotgun if a token price goal wasn’t met. Some users even promised NSFW content, with creators offering increasingly provocative material as investment thresholds are met. All of the controversial moments led to Pump.fun deciding to suspend live streams until it could successfully moderate them.
“Moving forward, we will be significantly more transparent about rules and regulations of using the site by publishing guidelines,” the Pump.fun team said. “We will also provide creators and users greater visibility into individual moderation decisions to ensure everyone understands the process and outcomes.”
The platform’s anonymous founder, known only as “Alon,” also issued a public statement on X about the recent backlash. “Let me make it abundantly clear: we actively moderate illicit content on the site,” Alon said. “That includes images, videos, live streams, and comments. Although we strongly stand for free speech and expression, it’s our responsibility to ensure that users don’t see clearly repulsive/dangerous content and that bad actors aren’t given a platform to act as they wish.” Alon has yet to comment on the decision to deactivate the live-stream service.