Imgur Pulls Out of UK as Data Watchdog Threatens Fine (express.co.uk) 39
Imgur, a popular image hosting platform with more than 130 million users, has stopped being available in the UK after regulators signalled their intention to impose penalties over concerns around children's data. From a report: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said that it has reached provisional findings in an investigation in the parent company of image hosting site, Imgur. Its probe was launched earlier this year, as part of the regulator's Children's Code strategy, which is intended to set the standards for how online services handle the personal information of young people. BBC adds: 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.
That's fine. I've got backups. (Score:4, Funny)
I've been saving my favourite gifs and memes for the past 5 years now. I've got enough to last me a lifetime.
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One can certainly exist in a post-creation world, a world where content is frozen in time and no further commentary, expression, or art can realistically occur at the same pace. But being forced to that position because of government overreach ought to rub people the wrong way.
More sites (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:More sites (Score:5, Interesting)
Another solution is needed for people living in the UK, in addition to traditional VPNs; imo.
Something more like Tor but harder to simply block.
The UK government in the future is bound to try and extend their reach to VPN providers to block these services, or ban or age-restrict VPN providers requiring providers collect digital ID proof from their customers; you can just about guarantee it -- they've already started discussing it I'm sure
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Sigh. Another country off the list of potential places to live in.
Re:More sites (Score:4, Insightful)
hell, anyone trying to control sites that aren't in their borders should be given the finger and cut off
what your citizens request is your problem, if you can't be assed to control their computers/requests then too bad, you can shut down mango imports but you don't dictate mango fields/factories elsewhere and you should get blackballed by the industry if you try
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hell, anyone trying to control sites that aren't in their borders should be given the finger and cut off
[Kim Dotcom has entered the chat.]
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Should do this. The uk online is fucked. U need vpn 100% of time now. Can we get some real heavyweights pulling out of the UK too
I'm for this. The UK would be a much better place without Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, X etc. Nothing of any value would be lost.
VPN usage (Score:4, Insightful)
I am fairly confident that by now, basically everyone who wants to, is using a VPN -- tens of millions of people in the UK. Some will be using shitty VPNs that expose them to the risk of blackmail over their browsing habits, and this will include kids, but that is apparently a form of child harm that Ofcom will ignore.
Oh they know. (Score:2)
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So the rumour goes. We will see where it actually ends up.
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The sad thing is that the mass use of VPNs is probably keeping people from actually getting properly angry about what's been done so far. Maybe that would finally get some action, I just don't hold much hope.
Re: VPN usage (Score:1)
Re: VPN usage (Score:2)
The answer to this is to write to your MP.
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My MP is a Marxist Green who supports HAMAS and hates freedom. I'm not sure it will help.
Will Wikimedia Commons be next? (Score:2)
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If they're going to go full orwell, at least try to disguise the name - ministry of truth sounds so ironic.
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That is the disguised name, with the Newspeak version as "Minitrue".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministries_in_Nineteen_Eighty-Four
"The Ministry of Peace concerns itself with war, the Ministry of Truth with lies, the Ministry of Love with torture and the Ministry of Plenty with starvation. These contradictions are not accidental, nor do they result from ordinary hypocrisy: they are deliberate ex
Huh? (Score:3)
From the article:
The ICO also confirmed that companies could not avoid accountability by withdrawing their services in the UK.
Mr Capel said: “We have been clear that exiting the UK does not allow an organisation to avoid responsibility for any prior infringement of data protection law, and our investigation remains ongoing.
So they want a change, the company says don't want to do that so we'll leave, but the company gets fined anyway? Unless the company has a presence in the UK, how can the fine be enforced?
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Wishful thinking and blackmailing foreign 'officials' ?
Re: Huh? (Score:3)
The ICO also confirmed that companies could not avoid accountability by withdrawing their services in the UK. Mr Capel said: âoeWe have been clear that exiting the UK does not allow an organisation to avoid responsibility for any prior infringement of data protection law, and our investigation remains ongoing.
So they want a change, the company says don't want to do that so we'll leave, but the company gets fined anyway? Unless the company has a presence in the UK, how can the fine be enforced?
Emphasis mine. The ICO is saying that withdrawing from the UK does not excuse any past actions that may have been unlawful at the time.
Very annoying though, are there any other convenient free image hosting sites?
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The ICO also confirmed that companies could not avoid accountability by withdrawing their services in the UK. Mr Capel said: âoeWe have been clear that exiting the UK does not allow an organisation to avoid responsibility for any prior infringement of data protection law, and our investigation remains ongoing.
So they want a change, the company says don't want to do that so we'll leave, but the company gets fined anyway? Unless the company has a presence in the UK, how can the fine be enforced?
Emphasis mine. The ICO is saying that withdrawing from the UK does not excuse any past actions that may have been unlawful at the time.
Very annoying though, are there any other convenient free image hosting sites?
Get a cheap host in the $5 a month range and load up an image uploader if you don't like FTP/SCP. It's a cheap way to avoid having to play hopscotch with the ever changing corporate sponsored web.
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Unless the company has a presence in the UK, how can the fine be enforced?
It does not get enforced, but that isn't a problem. If you as a human get fined e.g. for commit any infraction and leave the country, any fine you receive is unenforceable. It does not reduce the legitimacy of applying the fine.
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)
They are fining companies overseas if they a) allow UK users to connect and b) not comply with UK laws. 4chan for example.
Imagine if the People's Republic of China would enforce Chinese laws to Chinese citizens not through the Chinese firewall, but by fining American companies. Imagine how silly that'd be.
too far (Score:1)
Don't really give a fuck about handing over my selfie to have a wank, but this is just taking the piss.
That's what happens when you pull out of the EU (Score:5, Insightful)
You become a small region, where it's easier and cheaper for global companies to say "no, we'll just not do business here" instead of follow your rules.
Re: (Score:2)
Guess what the EU are introducing in 2026
Excellent! (Score:2)
Not far enough... (Score:2)
They haven't gone anywhere near far enough. We won't be safe until and unless we can only see websites and use services explicitly licensed and overseen by a gang of idiot, drooling, bloviating, pious, intellectually deficient, Marxist, pro-Islamic terror fuckwits.
It's the Express ....so check everything (Score:2)
The ICO is investigating the parent company, MediaLab mostly for their other enterprises - and for lack of age checks for people who have an account on Imgur
MediaLab have shut down access to Imgur in the UK - which the ICO have noted is irrelevant
The ICO's real issues are with Kik ... (Score:2)
The real issues are with Kik and the other social media platforms they run, Imgur is incidental, as the ICO's issues are with accounts, and most people use it without an account
the have several Social Media sites that have little or no checks, and allow chatting and sharing of media .. that's the real focus of the ICO