Imgur blocked in the UK

WiddlinDiddlin · 02/10/2025 04:03

Nooooooooo... not Steam, I do use that!

Well aware of VPN's, often haven't got the time to fanny about though!

Elbowpatch · 01/10/2025 13:08

RealOliveTraybake · 01/10/2025 10:58

Imgur blocks VPNs, making it fairly frustrating as you've got to change server repeatedly till you find one that works

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That’s interesting. I’m using a UK VPN and it appears to be working fine for me.

PrincessASDaisy · 01/10/2025 11:17

I’ve also been asked to verify my age just to view a Reddit post! But I have a VPN so all is well

smallglassbottle · 01/10/2025 11:15

If Steam goes it's going to be pretty bloody miserable for gamers.

ChangingWeight · 01/10/2025 11:09

RealOliveTraybake · 01/10/2025 10:58

Imgur blocks VPNs, making it fairly frustrating as you've got to change server repeatedly till you find one that works

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Yeah - I just tried it. But I managed to connect 2nd time by using Middle East servers instead of US.

Original poster

RealOliveTraybake · 01/10/2025 10:58

ChangingWeight · 01/10/2025 05:48

@WiddlinDiddlin You can use a VPN. As soon as you switch country, you can access anything that would otherwise be blocked in the UK. I don’t have a VPN on all the time, just the odd times I need it. Plus in time there might be bypass links available eg archive.org

Imgur blocks VPNs, making it fairly frustrating as you've got to change server repeatedly till you find one that works

OP posts:

ChangingWeight · 01/10/2025 05:48

@WiddlinDiddlin You can use a VPN. As soon as you switch country, you can access anything that would otherwise be blocked in the UK. I don’t have a VPN on all the time, just the odd times I need it. Plus in time there might be bypass links available eg archive.org

WiddlinDiddlin · 01/10/2025 05:46

Yes, Imgur is shit... I've never uploaded anything using it.

I will get pretty narked at looking for information in old forums, reddit etc, and finding I can't see content that would have been useful to me because the person sharing it used imgur and I cannot control what someone else uses.

And it's more than that... whats next. How much more of the internet will we not be able to see?

WiddlinDiddlin · 01/10/2025 05:42

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 30/09/2025 07:01

Bugger! Didn’t know they were going to do that.

Imgur isn’t ’porn and kittens’, it’s a photo sharing site with long term users who have a huge following for their daily photos of Japan, or of their images while driving Lorries all over the US, or of their pet, or of their own weight loss or any other random topic. There are people asking for, and receiving support on there.

A bit like Mumsnet isn’t ’recipes and nappies’.

It's a very old joke. Never mind.

ChangingWeight · 01/10/2025 02:33

imgur is shit and many people in the know have been using alternatives so will just continue to do so. I found it to be the most ad-riddled and cringe place to upload a quick picture, like why would I want to share a link to my image just for imgur to advertise a dozen other images next to it? Of often irrelevant and cringe internet memes, I couldn’t care less about what imgur fans are upvoting? Good riddance.

DervlaGlass · 01/10/2025 02:25

urbanbuddha · 30/09/2025 12:28

Imgur aren't just blocking images of porn they are blocking all images. It's easier for them to just geoblock the whole of the UK than try to filter out the images that need to be age restricted in the UK (e.g. porn) versus those that are open in the UK (e.g. kittens).

So just let the kids see the porn? Is that your argument?

How about... Parents control what kids see.

I couldn't access an alcohol addiction support site without online verification the other day. It wasn't even for me it was to send to a reluctant friend who is definitely not going to be putting her face up for everyone to associate with that.

Ditto a psoriasis group.

The UK is a cork in the ocean I strongly suspect steam will end up blocking us.

I miss the days when adults weren't made to pay the price because other people couldn't possibly not give their kids smart phones.

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 01/10/2025 00:53

HyggeTygge · 30/09/2025 22:46

Are you thinking of tumblr?

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I honestly can’t remember, possibly it was that one!

HyggeTygge · 30/09/2025 22:46

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 30/09/2025 19:28

Wasn’t there a site that banned porn about 5 (?) years ago then basically everyone left and put their photos (porn and kittens and everything in-between) somewhere else?

A famous photo site but I can’t remember the name.

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Are you thinking of tumblr?

StrongLikeMamma · 30/09/2025 22:39

Meh

saraclara · 30/09/2025 22:36

HappiestSleeping · 30/09/2025 17:36

I use the Internet regularly, and haven't noticed any lack of content.

I take the point about legitimate users being a bit pissed, but hey, if it protects children, so be it. There will always be outliers. Change is inevitable (other than from vending machines).

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Since the block was only put in place a few hours ago, you're unlikely to have noticed the changes yet

SeriouslyWhataMess · 30/09/2025 19:43

I noticed this this morning, trying to view a webpage that must have the images hosted on imgur, it rendered the website unusable.

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 30/09/2025 19:28

HyggeTygge · 30/09/2025 18:43

A gap in the market might open up for an image-hosting site that doesn't host porn.

I don't know how that would be run but the inventive is there.

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Wasn’t there a site that banned porn about 5 (?) years ago then basically everyone left and put their photos (porn and kittens and everything in-between) somewhere else?

A famous photo site but I can’t remember the name.

HyggeTygge · 30/09/2025 18:43

YouHaveAnArse · 30/09/2025 12:00

Several UK forums I use rely on Imgur for posting images as hosting them themselves is too expensive. It's going to make large parts of the internet considerably less functional.

A gap in the market might open up for an image-hosting site that doesn't host porn.

I don't know how that would be run but the inventive is there.

Pharazon · 30/09/2025 18:39

RJ2023 · 30/09/2025 18:30

The thing I am really worried about is if anything happens to Steam in the UK as a consequence of this act. I have 20 years of PC games in my library.

I've seen a few YouTube videos suggesting Steam are struggling to implement this act (e.g. for games that have adult content in them).

I really hope they don't end up just doing a blanket block on the UK.

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Of course they won't, the revenue loss would be huge.

RJ2023 · 30/09/2025 18:30

RealOliveTraybake · 30/09/2025 01:07

For all those applauding the online safety act in recent threads, AIBU to say they are reaping what they sow?

Imgur has just blocked all UK users from accessing it's site, and Imgur is just the tip of the iceberg.

The thing I am really worried about is if anything happens to Steam in the UK as a consequence of this act. I have 20 years of PC games in my library.

I've seen a few YouTube videos suggesting Steam are struggling to implement this act (e.g. for games that have adult content in them).

I really hope they don't end up just doing a blanket block on the UK.

HappiestSleeping · 30/09/2025 17:36

saraclara · 30/09/2025 15:08

So many people spectacularly missing the point here.

Anyone who uses the internet regularly is going to find that they can't see many of the images posted there. Every single Brit who's a reasonably enthusiastic internet user would need to get a VPN. And that's simply not going to happen.

I use the Internet regularly, and haven't noticed any lack of content.

I take the point about legitimate users being a bit pissed, but hey, if it protects children, so be it. There will always be outliers. Change is inevitable (other than from vending machines).

LauraNorda · 30/09/2025 17:34

urbanbuddha · 30/09/2025 12:28

Imgur aren't just blocking images of porn they are blocking all images. It's easier for them to just geoblock the whole of the UK than try to filter out the images that need to be age restricted in the UK (e.g. porn) versus those that are open in the UK (e.g. kittens).

So just let the kids see the porn? Is that your argument?

Why don't YOU block the porn from YOUR kids, rather than relying on the state. That's YOUR job.

Elbowpatch · 30/09/2025 16:41

YouHaveAnArse · 30/09/2025 15:10

It's not always practical to use a VPN for every device I use to access the internet, and tbh there's an awful lot of internet users who either don't know how to use a VPN, are accessing the internet via machines they don't have control over such as at work or the library, or will just not bother going through an extra hoop just to post on NicheHobbyForum.com, and then that expertise is gone.

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Edited because I didn’t read the post properly.

YouHaveAnArse · 30/09/2025 15:10

Elbowpatch · 30/09/2025 15:04

Not if you use a VPN.

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It's not always practical to use a VPN for every device I use to access the internet, and tbh there's an awful lot of internet users who either don't know how to use a VPN, are accessing the internet via machines they don't have control over such as at work or the library, or will just not bother going through an extra hoop just to post on NicheHobbyForum.com, and then that expertise is gone.

saraclara · 30/09/2025 15:08

So many people spectacularly missing the point here.

Anyone who uses the internet regularly is going to find that they can't see many of the images posted there. Every single Brit who's a reasonably enthusiastic internet user would need to get a VPN. And that's simply not going to happen.