Imgur, a free site to host images, announced on Wednesday (19) that it will change the terms of service for all users. As a result, people will no longer be able to upload images with “nudity, pornography, and explicit sexuality” content. Those who have this type of file on the page’s servers can download it to their personal machines until May 14, 2023.
The changes will become effective from May 15. According to the company’s blog post, keeping this type of file could bring problems to the brand:
Explicit and illegal content has historically posed a risk to the Imgur community and its businesses. Not allowing it to be uploaded will allow the company to address these risks and protect the future of our community.
The page will still allow photos of artistic nudity. However, because the site is still calibrating automated detection in these early stages, some content that may have been allowed under “artistic exceptions” previously may not apply this time around.
In addition, Imgur said it intends to make everything quite clear to its user base. According to the brand, if a person uploads an image that is considered a violation of the terms, they will be notified quickly. The file will also end up being deleted accordingly.
Finally, the company said it will not give warnings or suspend accounts when someone tries to add this type of content to the company’s servers.
Old images may also be deleted
Imgur also said it will focus on “removing old, unused and inactive content that is not linked to a user account from our platform.” However, the page did not present specific details or characteristics about what these old files would be.
To try to minimize the impact of these changes on the community, the company said it will make use of both automatic detection and human review. It also asks users to continue to report violations of the terms by others.
It’s important to remember that Imgur is one of several website options for hosting free images. It is worth knowing other platforms whenever possible.
