Image upload site 'Imgur' announces that it will delete sexual images and old content, crisis of disappearing images with high historical value



Imgur , an online image sharing service used around the world, reported an update to its terms of service on its blog on April 19, 2023. Effective May 15th, the new terms of service prohibit sexually explicit content such as pornography and nudity, as well as 'old, unused and inactive content not associated with a user account.' It is said that it will be deleted, and there are concerns that valuable and valuable content may be lost.

Imgur Terms of Service Update [April 19, 2023] – Imgur
https://help.imgur.com/hc/en-us/articles/14415587638029-Imgur-Terms-of-Service-Update-April-19-2023-



Imgur to ban explicit images and delete uploads not tied to an account | Engadget
https://www.engadget.com/imgur-to-ban-explicit-images-and-delete-uploads-not-tied-to-an-account-122537118.html

Imgur is banning porn and purging old anonymous uploads - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/20/23691156/imgur-porn-ban-sexually-explicit-content-terms-of-service

Imgur is an online image sharing service that allows you to upload image files and GIF animations, and has been used by Internet users around the world since its launch in 2009. In 2021, it was announced that Imgur was acquired by MediaLab, which manages a number of internet brands.

Announced that the image sharing service 'Imgur' was acquired by the Internet brand management company 'MediaLab' - GIGAZINE



Imgur reported in a blog on April 19th that the newly changed Terms of Service will go into effect on May 15th. In a blog, Imgur said, 'Our new Terms of Service will go into effect on May 15, 2023. Similar to nudity, pornography, and sexually explicit content, old We are focused on removing unused and inactive content from our platform.If you wish to save an image that no longer complies with these Terms, you must download or save it.In particular, explicit content or Pornographic content falls under this.'



Originally, Imgur's community rules prohibit uploading 'nude or sexual content' as public content on the platform. However, posting

NSFW images on a private basis was per se permitted by the terms of service, allowing users to privately upload images and share their URLs. This particular approach allowed users such as Reddit, an international bulletin board that cannot upload sexually explicit images, to share NSFW images via Imgur.

Imgur explained why it changed its terms of service because its complicated approach to sexually explicit content was causing user frustration, and by aligning its terms of service with community rules, it clarified what content is allowed on Imgur. It says that it can be defined. 'Explicit or illegal content has historically posed risks to the Imgur community and its business. We can protect the future.'

To detect sexually explicit content, Imgur uses automated detection software with human moderators. Therefore, it is possible that the 'artistic nudity' permitted by the Terms of Service may be accidentally deleted.



Beyond the exclusion of sexually explicit content, the phrase ``remove old, unused, inactive content not tied to user accounts from the platform'' is of concern. The problem is that neither the Imgur blog nor the Terms of Service provide a clear definition of 'old, unused and inactive content that is not tied to a user account.'

According to tech news site The Verge, ``By definition, it covers the vast number of non-pornographic images that have been uploaded to Imgur over the years. We asked Imgur for clarification on this matter, but a spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.'

This policy risks removing a lot of content that has not been posted outside of Imgur. Twitter user walking mirage said, ``The world-famous web hosting site Imgur has decided to burn down the Library of Alexandria and destroy all old posts along with pornography,'' adding valuable content. I lamented that there is a possibility that will be deleted.



Technology media Ars Technica points out that Imgur has posted a lot of content that is not available elsewhere, such as repair manuals for devices that the manufacturer's official website does not want to post. 'It's not mandatory to host images for free and indefinitely. But given the long history of Imgur, such an exclusion would likely result in a rotten web page with a myriad of links lacking important context. It is.'

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