Individuals in the UK are not in a position to entry content material hosted on the Imgur, a preferred media sharing web site, after a UK information watchdog warned it could impose a financial penalty on the mum or dad firm, MediaLab.
Guests to the location at the moment are proven a message stating, “Content material not obtainable 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 not obtainable,” explains the Imgur assist web page.
“UK customers will be unable 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 a press release, 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 youngsters’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 relating to these issues 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 a press release from the ICO.
“Our findings are provisional and the ICO will rigorously think about any representations from MediaLab earlier than taking a last resolution whether or not to challenge a financial penalty.”
In response, Imgur determined to geoblock your complete nation, not permitting folks within the UK to entry its web site 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 planet, this geoblock has had a widespread affect.
On web sites that permit customers to embed pictures, comparable to Steam Workshop and dialogue boards, folks from the UK at the moment are seeing purple rectangles stating, “Content material not viewable in your area”.
At present, the one workaround is to make use of a VPN, which lets you join from an IP deal with abroad.
Nonetheless, it will possible affect customers’ expertise whereas on the Web because of slower speeds and doubtlessly different georestrictions at different websites.
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