Imgur Blocking UK Users

[Trevanion]

This isn't really an issue that can be sorted by the forum itself, but more to let people know.

It appears that it's not possible to view Imgur photos from the UK anymore, unless it's a temporary problem, but more than likely it's happened as a result of the new Online Safety Act and the UK Government pressuring companies to enforce age verification on their users if their site may contain adult imagery.

A few posters and myself used to use a lot of Imgur when posting because it circumvented any site-based image size and quantity limits, so many of my older threads were purely done with Imgur images, though I have lately been using WH2's own system as it's pretty easy.

This is Mike's long-running thread, for example:



However, if you view via a VPN, you can see the images:



You may also notice that my signature also not available!

 

[AndyP]

So far I do not have the same problem here which seems strange as I thought the UK was falling in line with euro regs on age verification etc.

 

[AJB Temple]

It's a real pain. We use a US based web host for our websites and for no reason that I can see that gets blocked as well (just the images - which are of food), so forced to use Brave VPN when I want to edit it. Views fine for general users - just editing is a problem.

 

[Trevanion]

So far I do not have the same problem here which seems strange as I thought the UK was falling in line with euro regs on age verification etc.

Possibly the European version of the Online Safety Act isn’t quite as overzealous as the British version. With the British Government threatening to fine and sanction companies that do not comply with the OSA it’s not surprising that the easiest solution is to just not service the U.K. anymore.

 

[AndyP]

i did notice when I was in the UK last week that I was being asked to sign in to Youtube to prove my age just to watch some very innocuous videos, honest.

 

[Just4fun]

i did notice when I was in the UK last week that I was being asked to sign in to Youtube to prove my age just to watch some very innocuous videos, honest.

That's interesting. I was in the UK a couple of weeks ago and I had no problems. I only used Youtube, my (UK-based) email server, and a couple sites like this one.

 

[Dr.Al]

i did notice when I was in the UK last week that I was being asked to sign in to Youtube to prove my age just to watch some very innocuous videos, honest.

That's interesting. I was in the UK a couple of weeks ago and I had no problems. I only used Youtube, my (UK-based) email server, and a couple sites like this one.

Maybe the videos you were watching were even more "innocuous" than the ones Andy went for

 

[AndyT]

Just bumping this one.

I think I checked when Trevanion first raised the problem but images were ok for me then.

They aren't now.

This clearly affects Mike, with his long, very popular, much-illustrated extension project, etc, and Trevanion but I expect there are other Imgur users whose contributions are now broken.

I'm aware that the forum benefits from having some helpful members with in-depth IT skills.

I wonder if someone could find a way for affected users to upload photos in bulk, then automatically edit all posts with Imgur links in them, so they point to the same pictures, but hosted on the forum?

 

[TrimTheKing]

That's a question for @akirk I think. I'm sure there would be a way to do it using a SQL DB editor, but it would take some work to edit the existing pic numbers, align those with replacement pic numbers and do a bulk replace. Not an easy task. Not sure what the answer is tbh as this one is on Imgur, and one reason I binned off Photocket a number of years ago, because I pre-empted this happening (as did a few others on here).

Digging a bit deeper...

"Why is Imgur blocked in the UK?

Imgur's decision to restrict access in the UK is a commercial decision taken by the company. Earlier this year, as part of an update on our Children's code strategy, we announced an investigation into MediaLab AI Inc (MediaLab).30 Sept 2025"

How to Prevent or Mitigate Ruined Posts

• Use Other Hosting Platforms:
  Switch to more reliable image hosting services that don't have the same issues as Imgur.
• Self-Host Images:
  For forums and communities, self-hosting images on their own servers is a more stable long-term solution.
• Archive Content:
  Groups of archivists are working to archive endangered data, including Imgur content, to preserve it for the future.
• Update Forum Databases:
  For existing forums, administrators may need to update their databases to replace broken Imgur links with proxied versions or new hosting links.

If we take Mike's post for example, the only way I can see to deal with this right now would be to somehow force the forum hosting to use a US VPN (if that's even possible) and manually upload or change the picture links

OR

work out how this proxied versions of the links thing mentioned in the last bullet would work and see if that gets round it.

I haven't the time right now to look into either of those so hopefully someone else can, and I'll try over the weekend if not.

Cheers
Mark

 

[AndyT]

Delving beyond my own level of understanding, I had a quick look at the XenForo forum.

I didn't find any recent posts, but in response to posts from a few years ago, someone pointed to an add-on which would find Imgur hosted photos in posts, save the files, and upload them as attachments instead.

This would have worked while the images were still visible.

But maybe someone (Alastair?) could use a VPN so the images were accessible to the add-on?

 

[TrimTheKing]

Okay, and with a little more digging (while I really should, and NEED to be working) I've tested on my phone and the links are broken normally but work fine using a US VPN.

I wonder if there's a way to apply a VPN just to the forum host, then use policy based routing to push ONLY the Imgur url over the VPN...

That's what I just tested at my end, and proved that all other access goes out of the normal 'non-VPN' route. That would be the quickest way, assuming it's possible at Alasdair's end...

 

[TrimTheKing]

Delving beyond my own level of understanding, I had a quick look at the XenForo forum.

I didn't find any recent posts, but in response to posts from a few years ago, someone pointed to an add-on which would find Imgur hosted photos in posts, save the files, and upload them as attachments instead.

This would have worked while the images were still visible.

But maybe someone (Alastair?) could use a VPN so the images were accessible to the add-on?

Yep that might work. Post that link in here mate and I'll have a read. That might be a better solution.

 

[TrimTheKing]

Just found this

To change Imgur URLs in XenForo, use an add-on like Convert image by domain to convert hot-linked images to local attachments, which bypasses the need to rely on Imgur's external hosting. Another approach is to use a CDN integration add-on to rewrite attachment URLs to a Content Delivery Network (CDN), effectively changing the image's source.

Using "Convert image by domain" Add-on

1. Install the Add-on:
   Download and install the "Convert image by domain" add-on from the XenForo community resources.
   
   
2. Configure the Add-on:
   The add-on allows you to select a domain (like Imgur) and convert hot-linked images from that domain into local attachments on your forum.
   
   
3. Run the Add-on:
   You can run the add-on periodically to convert any newly posted Imgur images to attachments, ensuring your forum's images remain under your control.
   

Using a CDN Integration Add-on

1. Find a CDN Add-on: Look for an add-on that allows you to integrate your forum with a CDN.
2. Set up the CDN: Configure the add-on to use a CDN for your forum's attachments.
3. Rewrite URLs: This type of add-on will rewrite the attachment and thumbnail URLs, including those pointing to Imgur, to your CDN.

Why These Solutions Work

• Independence from Imgur:
  These add-ons make your forum less dependent on Imgur, which has recently blocked some sites from proxying its images.
  
  
• Control Over Images:
  Converting to local attachments or serving via a CDN gives you complete control over the image files.
  
  
• Improved Stability:
  This helps ensure that images remain available and don't disappear due to changes in Imgur's policies or services.

 

[AndyT]

Yes, that's the one I saw.

 

[AndyT]

And this link

Convert image by domain

Premium upgrade: This XF2 add-on along with the entire collection can be purchased for $35.00 USD. Your Premium upgrade will allow you to download as many XF2 add-ons as you like for one year. Please see the entire collection located in the...

xenforo.com

 

[Mike G]

Is the fix for this issue the responsibilty of the individual poster, or could it be done by the Forum (ie Allister)? If it's up to me, with my skill-set, then the chances of it happening are slim.

 

[TrimTheKing]

Is the fix for this issue the responsibilty of the individual poster, or could it be done by the Forum (ie Allister)? If it's up to me, with my skill-set, then the chances of it happening are slim.

I think...if we use the plug in above it is automatic Mike, but we'll look into it and confirm.

 

[Dr.Al]

Assuming it all works, is it worth doing the same with i.postimg.cc as well? That's Derek Cohen's weapon of choice and it would be a shame for his threads to disappear.

Most of my images are (these days) hosted on my website (as it's the easiest option for sharing there, here and on the MIG-welding forum), so you can decide for yourself whether you think that's worth trawling or not.

 

[AndyT]

I found it frustrating just now when I went to look at Wallace's lovely thread about his ornamental lathe restoration that all his Imgur hosted photos have disappeared.

Then I remembered that VPNs are the answer and that for several years now I have been using Opera the web browser on my phone.

I mainly chose it because it comes with very effective built-in ad blocking, but it also offers a VPN. With one click to turn it on (no payment or sign-up required) all the photos were visible again.

I was already very happy with it, so to me this is just an extra bonus.

It's available for all current operating systems.

While I certainly don't want to put Alasdair off implementing a local solution, for me, using Opera + its VPN is the simplest possible workaround and I'd urge anyone else to give it a try.

 

[AndyP]

I believe Brave also has a built VPN and adblock but I can't test it from here.

 

[Dr.Al]

Vivaldi too. However, it's still much better if we can make the forum sort it out for us.

 

[AJB Temple]

I believe Brave also has a built VPN and adblock but I can't test it from here.

I use Brave. Yes, it does have a VPN and adblock. The latter is free and can be switched readily between sites. The VPN is $9 a month or circa 20% cheaper if paid annually. It works very well as it can be toggled and allows you to select any country you choose and change this on the fly. Some sites can sometimes detect that you are using a VPN proxy (You Tube for example), but switching country generally defeats this.

We were forced into using VPN to make our websites and booking systems work properly and securely.

 

[thetyreman]

wtf? we've turned into a nanny state!

 

[RogerS]

wtf? we've turned into a nanny state!yy6

In the broader context , No, because the legislation is to prevent young people from the darker reaches of the web.66y

 

[Trevanion]

In the broader context , No, because the legislation is to prevent young people from the darker reaches of the web.66y

But it is an effectively useless piece of legislation which affects more than it solves, god knows how much it has cost to implement, and how much it has damaged the online economy.

Want to look at X-rated stuff? Just look it up on Google and click on images; it all shows up because Google is exempt from the bill. It wouldn't take long for a child to figure out how to download a free VPN and completely negate the OSA by originating in the Netherlands or any other non-conforming country anyway. Then it's only the conforming mainstream sites who are affected, there are plenty of far shadier sites that do not conform that are completely available without the need of a VPN, which show far worse images than would have been available on mainstream sites. Children are often used as a scapegoat to bring about contentious laws, but rarely are they genuinely affected, and the serious issues that actually affect children on a day-to-day basis are completely ignored. At the end of the day, if you are concerned with what your child is viewing, it's far easier to restrict what is viewable on your own computer rather than the government blocking whole parts of the internet, regardless of whether they are harmful or not.

From what I understand, even Wikipedia has been considering blocking UK users because of the OSA, because it would be next to impossible to enforce on their platform and remain a neutral site.

 

[spb]

Whatever faults the OSA has - and I'm no fan of it - it's not the cause of the Imgur block.

The ICO announced its intent to fine the parent company for long-standing breaches of data protection law regarding how it handles children's accounts. Blocking UK users doesn't change their liability for that, and has nothing to do with the OSA, it's just petty retaliation from a company that thinks the law shouldn't apply to it.

 

[AJB Temple]

Whatever one thinks of the regulations, and the behaviour of the giant platforms, it has to be a good thing to try to protect our children. There are some very creepy people out there on the internet as my partner and I discovered when our son was very little (early days of FB). I remember attending a school event for parents when eldest was at prep school. They had brought in a couple of speakers who warned about on-line risks, pornography etc, but what struck us was their concern that parents generally (including us) were clueless about the serious risks posed by drugs and drug dealers.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

We were lucky, our school campus was up.a long drive, but other schools local.to us, with close street access, had to have Staff patrolling nearby streets at Break and Lunch times. Why? To discourage the proverbial white BMW and its 'out the window' dealing.
Our problem was our athletes, going to a widely advertised gym and spa chain, trading for bull steroids and ketamine in the car park... Children and teenagers are at risk in many more ways than online risks.
Our last 15-20 governments have been increasingly reluctant to punish appropriately the evil (and very opulent) dealers, ergo, they are increasingly arrogant and dismissive, with highly paid "briefs" to minimise or negate their jail time. It is LONG past time to reduce the burden of proof needed to convict these people. And, as to sentencing, my preferred lowest tier is a five year, no parole, stay in a nice concrete cell block on St. Kilda. Basic shelter only.

 

[RogerS]

..... And, as to sentencing, my preferred lowest tier is a five year, no parole, stay in a nice concrete cell block on St. Kilda. Basic shelter only.

Agreed and food only when there is a Z in the month/

 

[Trevanion]

Whatever faults the OSA has - and I'm no fan of it - it's not the cause of the Imgur block.

The ICO announced its intent to fine the parent company for long-standing breaches of data protection law regarding how it handles children's accounts. Blocking UK users doesn't change their liability for that, and has nothing to do with the OSA, it's just petty retaliation from a company that thinks the law shouldn't apply to it.

Whilst I understand that the data is a separate issue, Isn't "The investigation relates to how MediaLab’s Imgur social media platform uses children’s information and its approach to age assurance." essentially the same issue that's brought about by the OSA? Ensuring that users are of an appropriate age to use the site which would mean introducing stricter age verification processes as with many other sites and services that have had to conform to the OSA. That said, the whole age verification thing has been a bit of a flop as it was so easy to bypass with a photograph of an older person, or even an AI generated image.

Whatever one thinks of the regulations, and the behaviour of the giant platforms, it has to be a good thing to try to protect our children. There are some very creepy people out there on the internet as my partner and I discovered when our son was very little (early days of FB). I remember attending a school event for parents when eldest was at prep school. They had brought in a couple of speakers who warned about on-line risks, pornography etc, but what struck us was their concern that parents generally (including us) were clueless about the serious risks posed by drugs and drug dealers.

I don't disagree with extra measures to help prevent children's exposure to the darker sides of the internet, but the way this has been brought about is laughable at best. As I said in a previous post, it only really affects the more mainstream sites that are willing to comply with the OSA and there are thousands upon thousands of far more insidious sites whom do not.

Again, it doesn't solve the issues that children may face on a day to day basis because it doesn't affect those. Drug dealers and predators aren't lurking in the places that the OSA cover, they're on social media aimed at younger audiences like Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, etc... Predators are especially on video games, I remember a few years ago a local case where someone was exchanging ingame items for graphic photos and videos from underaged individuals.

 

[RogerS]

Did we implement any of Trim’s suggestions?

 

[akirk]

I have implemented and run the image conversion code today - and the simple answer is - no it doesn't work...
imgur block the code from seeing the image so when the image is requested (non-browser / by the server), instead of giving the original image to convert to an attachment - imgur gives their 'content not viewable in your region' image and that is then converted to a forum attachment... so the forum threads are now full of the same images, but hosted by us!

It is not possible to get our server to talk to imgur through a vpn due to its virtualisation / setup, so we can't get around that. I do have a backup of the server prior to running the code which will still have the imgur links, but I think for all practicable purposes it won't be possible to automate an update of image - so sorry, but those threads are without images unless the original owners go through them and update the threads by re-uploading the images from scratch... if that is too much work for the thread owners, but someone else wanted to do it - we can give permissions to allow that, we could also possibly turn on options to mass upload into a gallery, but other than using the standard forum features I don't think that I can give any more time - so, sorry - that is where we are...

 

[Mike G]

Absolutely no way on this planet can I re-upload four or five thousand photos in my "Renovation and Extension" thread, and my Workshop Build thread. There's also a How to Build a Shed Mike's Way (or something like that), which I know has drawn one or two members to this forum.

Is there any way to post some sort of banner in those threads linking to say Opera with its free VPN, or to another VPN, which would allow viewers to view the thread and thus the images via a VPN?

 

[AJB Temple]

^^ These are among the most important threads on this forum, along with some of Dan's. No? Is the solution to just have a gallery link to key sticky threads?

 

[Mike]

@Mike G, do you use Imgur for your image hosting? I looked through a few of your older threads, and the images are blocked, but do not appear to be related to Imgur.

For example, in your Mike's ext'n & renovation (solar panels) thread, this is what the beginning of Post 12 from September 2014 looks like to me:



The code associated with the post indicates to me that the image was uploaded during one of the early site software configurations and was not hosted by another site.

 

[akirk]

If people read my post above - the links in Mike's original thread are still there in the copy of the database I took as backup before running the suggested software yesterday... What I hadn't realised is that even with my computer on a VPN, the software is operating from the server which is not on a VPN (and can't be). The software works by being served an image, downloading it - adding it to the forum and then removing the original link to imgur.com and replacing it with the attachment link - however, because imgur served their replacement images to the server - not the original images, this has had the effect of embedding the imgur replacement image as attachments - replacing the links to imgur.

So, from the forum as is current - it has effectively taken us a step worse as even with a vpn, you will now see the attachments and not the originals... as the original link to imgur no longer exists in the thread...

is all lost - no, of course not - that is why I take backups but it shows that this is not a simple issue at all - the options we have are relatively simple:

- someone edits the threads manually (big job)
- we use an associated gallery and bulk upload images to the gallery - easiest option, but least user-friendly in terms of associating images and text
- I use a script to replace the threads with the saved threads to go back to how we had it previously - only visible with a vpn
- I look at a code option, whereby I get a script that goes through an old thread - and does what we thought the above add-on would do - find the images / download them / add them as attachments... most complex and will have to see what is possible...

the last option is the optimal end result - and one that had been assumed to be the end result of the add on - but not to be... however it will need to wait until I have time to do it... sorry folks - but this is a voluntary role, so please don't expect magic instantly - and while there may be ups and downs in how we get there as long as we have the original (which we do) then there should be no issues in getting there at some point...

 

[TrimTheKing]

If people read my post above - the links in Mike's original thread are still there in the copy of the database I took as backup before running the suggested software yesterday... What I hadn't realised is that even with my computer on a VPN, the software is operating from the server which is not on a VPN (and can't be). The software works by being served an image, downloading it - adding it to the forum and then removing the original link to imgur.com and replacing it with the attachment link - however, because imgur served their replacement images to the server - not the original images, this has had the effect of embedding the imgur replacement image as attachments - replacing the links to imgur.

So, from the forum as is current - it has effectively taken us a step worse as even with a vpn, you will now see the attachments and not the originals... as the original link to imgur no longer exists in the thread...

is all lost - no, of course not - that is why I take backups but it shows that this is not a simple issue at all - the options we have are relatively simple:

- someone edits the threads manually (big job)
- we use an associated gallery and bulk upload images to the gallery - easiest option, but least user-friendly in terms of associating images and text
- I use a script to replace the threads with the saved threads to go back to how we had it previously - only visible with a vpn
- I look at a code option, whereby I get a script that goes through an old thread - and does what we thought the above add-on would do - find the images / download them / add them as attachments... most complex and will have to see what is possible...

the last option is the optimal end result - and one that had been assumed to be the end result of the add on - but not to be... however it will need to wait until I have time to do it... sorry folks - but this is a voluntary role, so please don't expect magic instantly - and while there may be ups and downs in how we get there as long as we have the original (which we do) then there should be no issues in getting there at some point...

I've just pinged you a voicenote in WhatsApp.

 

[Mike G]

If people read my post above - the links in Mike's original thread are still there in the copy of the database I took as backup before running the suggested software yesterday... What I hadn't realised is that even with my computer on a VPN, the software is operating from the server which is not on a VPN (and can't be). The software works by being served an image, downloading it - adding it to the forum and then removing the original link to imgur.com and replacing it with the attachment link - however, because imgur served their replacement images to the server - not the original images, this has had the effect of embedding the imgur replacement image as attachments - replacing the links to imgur.

So, from the forum as is current - it has effectively taken us a step worse as even with a vpn, you will now see the attachments and not the originals... as the original link to imgur no longer exists in the thread...

is all lost - no, of course not - that is why I take backups but it shows that this is not a simple issue at all - the options we have are relatively simple:

- someone edits the threads manually (big job)
- we use an associated gallery and bulk upload images to the gallery - easiest option, but least user-friendly in terms of associating images and text
- I use a script to replace the threads with the saved threads to go back to how we had it previously - only visible with a vpn
- I look at a code option, whereby I get a script that goes through an old thread - and does what we thought the above add-on would do - find the images / download them / add them as attachments... most complex and will have to see what is possible...

the last option is the optimal end result - and one that had been assumed to be the end result of the add on - but not to be... however it will need to wait until I have time to do it... sorry folks - but this is a voluntary role, so please don't expect magic instantly - and while there may be ups and downs in how we get there as long as we have the original (which we do) then there should be no issues in getting there at some point...

That's brilliant, Alastair, and we all appreciate the work involved.

I think your list is in the reverse order of desirability from the viewer/ reader/ member point of view. The last option would be absolutely brilliant, but if we end up with the second last option that would be a really good compromise.

 

[Windows]

Can you host the forum locally using a backup of the DB and let the plugin do its job with access to a VPN? If the plugin works quickly, could consider taking the forum offline for a day, do the update on the VPN’d local machine using latest data, then transfer the DB back to the server?

 

[TrimTheKing]

Can you host the forum locally using a backup of the DB and let the plugin do its job with access to a VPN? If the plugin works quickly, could consider taking the forum offline for a day, do the update on the VPN’d local machine using latest data, then transfer the DB back to the server?

That was what my voicenote was relating to. This will take some time but I'll look at it.