On September 30, 2025, Imgur suddenly cut off all access for UK visitors, both to their site and to any Imgur images embedded elsewhere on the web. No warning, no advance notice, no email to UK users. Just a sudden blackout.
The reason? An investigation by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
👉 For context: the ICO is the UK’s data protection regulator. They enforce rules around how organisations handle personal data. One of their big initiatives is the Children’s Code, which sets out standards for protecting kids online. Platforms must, for example, minimize data collection, avoid profiling, and ensure children aren’t nudged into harmful choices.
According to the ICO, Imgur was found in violation of the Children’s Code. Rather than adapt, they’ve chosen to block UK users outright. But that won’t protect them from a likely fine for past violations.
The ICO has already made waves in 2025 with enforcement actions against X, Dailymotion, and Viber (ICO announcement here). Imgur now joins that list of platforms caught out.
📌 For anyone wondering: Img.vision is not affected.
Our service is fundamentally different:
- We don’t provide a social feed or algorithm that extracts or profiles personal data.
- Img.vision is built for product image hosting (for example, sellers uploading images to marketplaces or embedding them on their own websites).
- We do not run advertising, so we don’t build behavioral profiles.
- We don’t track geolocation of users.
- In short: we’re infrastructure, not a social platform.
That means Img.vision complies with the ICO’s criteria in the Children’s Code strategy update. No feeds, no profiling, no exploitation of children’s data.
🔎 It’s a stark reminder for image and media platforms: if your model relies on user feeds, profiling, or ads, regulators are watching closely. And as Imgur just learned, waiting until the ICO shows up on your doorstep is far too late.
See why Img.vision is the perfect Imgur alternative for your business.
