# Imgur blocked in the UK
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [October 5, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695 "2025-10-05T17:00:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/1 "2025-10-05T17:00:38Z")
I’m not one who typically rails agains the Nanny State, but this is getting ridiculous:
> From September 30, 2025, access to Imgur from the United Kingdom is no longer available. UK users will not be able to log in, view content, or upload images. Imgur content embedded on third-party sites will not display for UK users.
I assume this is due to the UK Online Safety Act even though it’s not explicitly referenced in the announcement. It’s now up to all of us to raise other people’s children because they can’t be trusted to do it themselves. The internet has fully become a corporate sponsored, government controlled wasteland. I guess it was inevitable.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/2 "2025-10-05T18:20:02Z")
Yes, the UK Online Safety Act is the issue. I believe, like some porn sites, they’re opting out of certain regions rather than dealing with age verifications. Now all the UK kids will be safe from memes and dirty pictures since they won’t be able to find them anywhere else on the internet.
One big side effect of this is that if you’re in the UK, in addition to not being able to access imgur’s website, you also won’t see images that are hotlinked on other sites. People in the UK are getting broken image links on reddit, they can’t play games on Sporcle and I’m sure there’s million other sites scrambling to find a new place to put their pictures.
I’m guessing that if any of or UK dopers go through the License Plate or Most Interesting Car threads, they’ll be seeing a lot of these instead:
[ ](https://cyberinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/embeds.jpeg)
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### Author:  [@EnglishGrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnglishGrey)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/3 "2025-10-05T18:33:55Z")
Yes, it’s ruined the interesting car thread for me 🙁
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/4 "2025-10-05T18:39:06Z")
It feels weird being left out. There are multiple threads here on the Dope with the purple ‘content not available’ box.
I’ve been using Imgur for a long time. It’s simple and quick. I guess writing off an entity with a population of 70 million is no big deal. It’s too bad the UK isn’t part of some larger, more influential union. 🤔
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### Author:  [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/5 "2025-10-05T18:52:34Z")
Indeed.
Stupid bastards.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/6 "2025-10-05T18:53:55Z")
> [@EnglishGrey](#):
>
> Yes, it’s ruined the interesting car thread for me 🙁
It’s not the same, but it reminds me of the beginning of the end of Photobucket. With that in mind, I did download everything I have there.
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### Author:  [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/7 "2025-10-05T19:15:50Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> One big side effect of this is that if you’re in the UK, in addition to not being able to access imgur’s website, you also won’t see images that are hotlinked on other sites.
That’s been a problem for Steam Workshop mods. Screenshots and infographics that are hosted on Imgur don’t work for UK citizens.
> [@BlankSlate](#):
>
> It’s too bad the UK isn’t part of some larger, more influential union. 🤔
In this case, I’d say the opposite. It’s better that the UK _cannot_ force Imgur to comply with its idiotic policy. The more annoyance this causes UK residents, the more likely it is the government will be forced to abandon this idiocy.
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### Author:  [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/8 "2025-10-05T19:21:03Z")
Would a VPN help? [Cloudflare WARP](https://one.one.one.one/) is a free one, but it doesn’t let you explicitly choose a non-UK origin, so it may or may not work for this…
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### Author:  [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/9 "2025-10-05T19:43:36Z")
Just installed it. No difference !
Is there anything I need to do to configure it ?
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### Author:  [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/10 "2025-10-05T19:50:21Z")
No, aside from making sure it’s on and orange. If that doesn’t work, it’s probably not connecting you to a node outside the UK (and you can’t force it to, unfortunately). Sorry.
Other VPNs might though. I used to use TunnelBear back in the day, but not sure who is good now…
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### Author:  [@DCTrekkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCTrekkie)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/11 "2025-10-05T19:50:57Z")
Apparently Imgur blocks a lot of VPNs, but not all. I can access it with the paid version of Proton VPN, so I would assume the free version would also work.
> **[Free VPN with no ads and no speed limits | Proton VPN](https://protonvpn.com/free-vpn)**
>
> Proton VPN’s free plan is the only free VPN service with no data limit, no ads and no logs of user activity. Keep your personal data private and secure.
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### Author:  [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/12 "2025-10-05T19:52:09Z")
Thanks. Damn !!
> [@DCTrekkie](#):
>
> Proton VPN, so I would assume the free version would also work.
Ooh, I’ll give that a go. thanks.
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### Author:  [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/13 "2025-10-05T20:08:12Z")
And .. it worked !
Now using Proton free VPN. Connected via a server in the Netherlands.
And I can see imgur images.
Sorted, job done.
Cheers @Reply and @DCTrekkie
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### Author:  [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/14 "2025-10-05T20:25:11Z")
Enjoy it while you can! Only a matter of time before the internet is completely locked down…
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/15 "2025-10-05T20:45:27Z")
I think the genie got too fat to go back in the bottle. 😊
Glad ya’ll can find your content in some other way.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/16 "2025-10-05T20:46:57Z")
> [@Babale](#):
>
> In this case, I’d say the opposite. It’s better that the UK _cannot_ force Imgur to comply with its idiotic policy. The more annoyance this causes UK residents, the more likely it is the government will be forced to abandon this idiocy.
Yes, another online petition perhaps. I’m sure that will accomplish what none of others have.
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### Author:  [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2025, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/17 "2025-10-06T14:10:28Z")
Can’t they just give it the TikTok ban treatment?
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### Author:  [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/18 "2025-10-06T18:11:15Z")
If you bookmark https://www3.lunapic.com/editor/?action=url you can copy the image URL and view it there with minimal faff.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2025, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imgur-blocked-in-the-uk/1023695/19 "2025-10-06T18:16:27Z")
Thanks, Proton is pretty good. I got blocked instantly on Reddit, but otherwise it seems to function better than other free vpns I’ve tried.
> [@colinfred](#):
>
> If you bookmark [LunaPic | Free Online Photo Editor | Open from URL](https://www3.lunapic.com/editor/?action=url) you can copy the image URL and view it there with minimal faff.
Bookmarked. Thanks.