39 replies to this topic

[Spider]

Many forum users switched to Imgur to host and post photos after Photobucket destroyed itself a few years ago. You may already have seen ""Content not viewable in your region" instead of a photo in many existing forum threads. Now it seems Imgur images will not be viewable in the UK unless you are connected to a VPN and is thought to be a result of the recent UK gov 'Online safety Bill'. If true it is not good news for the declining number of UK based special interest forums and the many posts and threads which rely on Imgur hosted images to make any sense....

 

Yet another 1/2 baked government brainwave.

[mab01uk]

 

 
i understand that Opera has a free vpn add in….

It does and works.

 

 

Many thanks for the heads up, the Opera browser free VPN, works well for me in bringing back Imgur images in TMF posts:-

https://www.opera.com/

 

Edited by mab01uk, 01 October 2025 - 07:04 PM.

[stuart bowes]

 

 

 
i understand that Opera has a free vpn add in….

It does and works.

 

I'd be very cautious of using a free VPN; ask yourself how the VPN provider is getting paid.

 

I was looking into IMGUR thinking oh maybe it's russian, or north korean or something, you know those places where they have stringent laws restricting people's internet usage

 

oh.. American.  I forgot, they're an authoritarian dictatorship now aren't they

 

to be fair though, a VPN is a good thing anyway, I have been meaning to set one up just for everyday general use

Please don't take your frustrations out on Imgur, they've been an excellent image host for many years and have knowingly allowed people (like forum users) to host content on their website which they essentially gain very little from. They just aren't willing to participate in the silly dance that the UK Government has made mandatory for them.

The Online Safety Act has made the Internet a darker place and I don't blame Imgur at all for saying "Thanks but no thanks." to the UK as a result of its passing. If you're frustrated about ruined build threads on TMF, or the threat to TMF itself by the OSA, you should contact your MP.

 

 

to be fair I was moaning about the US government, not Imgur, they're probably as annoyed about it as everyone else (just like all the other businesses the stupid orange one has totally ruined)

 

but if that isn't the actual cause in this one particular instance then apologies maybe I did just get carried away lol

 

Interested to know what's wrong with the online safety act though, I was all in favour personally, too much dodgy stuff online, how is it now darker?

Edited by stuart bowes, 02 October 2025 - 09:27 AM.

[Designer]

Hi,

 

I have got Microsoft’s free VPN for Edge and that does not seem to work on this forum. Spider’s image yesterday at 09.21 post No 6 in the article Oil Leak At Back Right Corner Of Cylinder Head

does not appear it just says content not viewable in your region. It does work on other sites.

 

 

Paddy

[Deathrow]

 

to be fair I was moaning about the US government, not Imgur, they're probably as annoyed about it as everyone else (just like all the other businesses the stupid orange one has totally ruined)

 

but if that isn't the actual cause in this one particular instance then apologies maybe I did just get carried away lol

 

Interested to know what's wrong with the online safety act though, I was all in favour personally, too much dodgy stuff online, how is it now darker?

The world is in a frightening state of affairs.

The OSA is a huge thing and the scope of what it has affected in the UK is massive so I can't write a summary. Let's just talk about it with regards to what it aimed to do, whether it achieved its aim and what effects us right here right now.

 

It claims to stop kids accessing dangerous material on the internet. Let's say porn. Can kids in the UK still access porn on the internet? Yes, they download a VPN just like has been discussed in this thread. What's the difference now? It's probably a free VPN and it's possible that the VPN provider is a bad actor and selling their data to a third party.

We're enthusiasts of a small British car that went on sale in the 50's. Can we access pictures in build threads? Nope. Was there any danger in those build threads? Nope. Does the Government care about that? Nope. What's different now? Users are using free VPN services to access build thread pictures. Those free VPN providers might be bad actors and be selling their data or worse.

Anyway that's my rant, you can read a better summary here: https://www.eff.org/...rity-and-speech

[Deathrow]

Hi,

 

I have got Microsoft’s free VPN for Edge and that does not seem to work on this forum. Spider’s image yesterday at 09.21 post No 6 in the article Oil Leak At Back Right Corner Of Cylinder Head

does not appear it just says content not viewable in your region. It does work on other sites.

 

 

Paddy

Can you link to the VPN you're using? At a guess there's very likely to be a bunch of dodgy VPNs that pop up with names like Microsoft on them (because people trust it) that are nefarious.

[Designer]

 

Hi,

 

I have got Microsoft’s free VPN for Edge and that does not seem to work on this forum. Spider’s image yesterday at 09.21 post No 6 in the article Oil Leak At Back Right Corner Of Cylinder Head

does not appear it just says content not viewable in your region. It does work on other sites.

 

 

Paddy

Can you link to the VPN you're using? At a guess there's very likely to be a bunch of dodgy VPNs that pop up with names like Microsoft on them (because people trust it) that are nefarious.

 

 

Hi Deathrow,

 

In Microsoft Edge click on the ... top right click on more tools then click on Secure Network and you can then toggle the free VPN on or off apparently.

I think you can say that the VPN is genuine Microsoft as I got the instructions how to turn it on from Microsofts official help website.

I don't think anybody could add those instructions and add a malicious VPN into Edge without someone knowing about it.

Wether or not this VPN is any good compared to other freebies I could not say.

My computer knowledge is in the negative as much as Eistein's was in the positive in the Theory of Relativity.

 

Paddy

 

PS Seems to be a bit better again from my last comment in other posting

Edited by Designer, 04 October 2025 - 05:11 AM.

[mab01uk]

The Microsoft Edge free VPN sounds similar to the free Opera browser VPN which can also be toggled on or off and allows the viewing of Imgur hosted forum photos/images in the UK, so may be a good alternative to those that are not keen on using Microsoft Edge.

 

(Opera also offer a higher level of system-wide VPN to protect all your device's apps and traffic, as a paid, premium service for system-wide protection and better speeds called Opera VPN Pro).

 

Most kids I know clearly understand a lot more about using VPN than our current bunch of UK Government ministers who brought in the OSA......

 

 

[cooperd70]

Free vpns are free for a reason...most probably reaping your data and using/selling it to 3rd parties. Either pay for a quality product, or just don't bother running through a VPN.

[mini-mad-mark]

I had noticed this and had no idea why, but, from/for me as a non-computer person:

 

I read this thread but I have absolutely no idea what you guys are talking about or how I can do anything to get these things you mention or how to do any of it. 

 

Guess it means I wont see many pictures from now on which will make my use of the forum less interesting (especially project pages).

 

Isn't there any way to make it simple for EVERYONE to add pictures directly like I do in "More reply options" (which I now know/found out is restricted to people with TMF+)

 

I did try the IMGUR thing a couple of times but it was not easy for me as a non-computer person - this was before I realised my TMF+ had expired which was the reason I couldn't add pictures in the "More reply options" so I'm OK again now.

[cooperd70]

MMM - you don't need to worry...the images content thing is just for those running vpns. You don't, so you don't need to worry about owt!

[PoolGuy]

MMM - you don't need to worry...the images content thing is just for those running vpns. You don't, so you don't need to worry about owt!

I’m not using a vpn, wouldn’t know how to but I can’t see the pictures in question. It makes the forum less usable than when it wasn’t working properly over the last few weeks. 

[cooperd70]

MMM - you don't need to worry...the images content thing is just for those running vpns. You don't, so you don't need to worry about owt!

I’m not using a vpn, wouldn’t know how to but I can’t see the pictures in question. It makes the forum less usable than when it wasn’t working properly over the last few weeks.

I think it'll get sorted as it's just being mis-labled for content as adult. Using a Vpn is a workaround until it's sorted.

[timmy850]

It's a shame they've done this, especially after I'd had to move all my images to imgur from Flickr as they wanted to charge hundreds of dollars to keep my previously free images online (and of course photobucket doing a similar thing a few years ago).

 

When you're a member of a few different forums, it's so much nicer being able to write one build thread update and upload the images to a third party website means you can simply copy the text and not have to upload the images into multiple websites. 

 

I had noticed that the home page of imgur has changed a lot the last few years. It used to be a page full of funny memes, and now it's now becoming a toxic pool of disgusting politically polarised rubbish. It's not that surprising now that it's been banned when you look at the home page. An outsider doesn't see all the albums full of helpful images being shared to forums

[Viktor]

I have installed Opera, but I still cannot see my images on the forum, nor can upload new images.

 

Can anyone let me know what I need to do?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Victor.