Heads up: If you use Imgur for image and video hosting, people in the UK can't see what you're posting

[Emrys]

I've already posted this in GD and DU Community Help, but this seems like an obvious place to also post it.

If you use Imgur for image and video hosting, people in the UK can't see what you're posting

This has been true for some months now.

This may not matter to you, and I know we UK members are in a small minority on DU, but I'm seeing it more and more, and I figure DUers outside the UK won't know about it unless someone points it out, so here I am.

An OP may consist of a subject line and in the body of the post what the poster assumes is an image or video, with no accompanying description or explanation. In that case, all those of us in the UK will see instead of the visual content is a purple box like this:



Less importantly, perhaps, the same will happen with any Imgur-hosted images in your signature line.

This is the result of geoblocking imposed by Imgur since September 30 last year, not by the UK government:

Imgur blocks access to UK users after regulator warned of fine

Image-hosting platform Imgur has blocked people in the UK from accessing its content.

Imgur is used by millions to make and share images such as memes across the web, particularly on Reddit and in online forums.

But UK users trying to access Imgur on Tuesday were met with an error message saying "content not available in your region" - with Imgur content shared on other websites also no longer showing.

The UK's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), said it recently notified the platform's parent company, MediaLab AI, of plans to fine Imgur after probing its approach to age checks and use of children's personal data.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gzxv5gy3qo

Solutions for we UK users would include using a VPN, but I for one can't be arsed to set one up just to be able to view occasional images on DU (I don't notice it elsewhere on the Web, but Imgur seems particularly popular here).

Solutions for those DUers who can be bothered to do something about it for we UK DUers would include avoiding posting images and videos without any explanation or description, or to use a different hosting site so we can all see and potentially share the content.

[Goonch]

1. ;-{) JUST TESTING _WHAT DO YOU SEE BELOW?

[Emrys]

2. I'm in the UK, and that image displays fine, thanks

If anyone's curious, it's hosted on Giphy, which will host still images in various formats as well as GIFs.

As far as I'm aware, Imgur is the only image hosting site to impose a blanket ban on access from the UK, so any other host should be fine.

[Celerity]

3. I now use this:

ImgBB is a free image hosting service.

https://imgbb.com/

cheers

[Emrys]

4. Great. Some folks were asking for suggestions of other hosts on my crossposted threads.

BTW, four out of your six signature images appear to be hosted on Imgur.