Individuals in the UK are now not in a position to entry content material hosted on the Imgur, a well-liked media sharing website, after a UK information watchdog warned it might impose a financial penalty on the mum or dad firm, MediaLab.
Guests to the location are actually proven a message stating, “Content material not accessible in your area,” with a hyperlink going to assist web page explaining why the content material was blocked.
“From September 30, 2025, entry to Imgur from the UK is now not accessible,” explains the Imgur assist web page.
“UK customers won’t be able to log in, view content material, or add pictures. Imgur content material embedded on third-party websites won’t show for UK customers.”
Supply: BleepingComputer
Whereas Imgur has not issued an announcement, the geoblock comes after the UK’s information watchdog, the Info Commissioner’s Workplace (ICO), introduced in March that it was investigating whether or not TikTok, Reddit, and Imgur have been appropriately defending kids’s information and assessing the age of these from the nation underneath the On-line Security Act (OSA).
The ICO states that it has accomplished its investigation and issued a discover of intent to impose a financial positive on MediaLab concerning these considerations on September 10.
“We reached our provisional findings on this investigation, and we issued a discover of intent to impose a financial penalty on MediaLab on 10 September 2025,” reads an announcement from the ICO.
“Our findings are provisional and the ICO will rigorously take into account any representations from MediaLab earlier than taking a ultimate determination whether or not to situation a financial penalty.” Â
In response, Imgur determined to geoblock the whole nation, now not permitting individuals within the UK to entry its website or any content material hosted from its servers.
Nonetheless, the ICO warns that blocking customers from the UK doesn’t exempt the group from paying a beforehand imposed positive.
As one of many largest media-sharing websites on the earth, this geoblock has had a widespread impression.
On web sites that permit customers to embed pictures, resembling Steam Workshop and dialogue boards, individuals from the UK are actually seeing purple rectangles stating, “Content material not viewable in your area”.
At the moment, the one workaround is to make use of a VPN, which lets you join from an IP handle abroad.
Nonetheless, this can doubtless impression customers’ expertise whereas on the Web attributable to slower speeds and doubtlessly different georestrictions at different websites.
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