I was uploading images to imgur to clear space off my phone yesterday and got an automated message that “content” in one of my albums broke community guidelines and therefore the album was deleted.

What picture exactly broke the guidelines? I have no clue. I wasn’t posting anything I’d consider borderline.

How did this unknown picture break the rules? I don’t know, because imgur won’t tell me.

Can I appeal it? I don’t see any way, which sucks since it is almost certainly an automated filter and those are known to make mistakes.

This is a problem on a lot of sites, both with and without automated content moderation. I’ve seen people defend sites having unknown rules as a way to keep uploaders from gaming the system, but frankly to me that’s just stupid. People with enough time to figure out the workarounds will always game the system, while more normal casual uploaders are stuck essentially rolling dice.

  • SSTF@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    6·
    14 hours ago

    I use a variety for different things. My point isn’t imgur specifically, but how these hidden rules exist on different sites.

    • dustyData@lemmy.worldEnglish
      22·
      12 hours ago

      They aren’t hidden. It was probably on the Terms of service somewhere. They are not legally binding, nobody reads them, but is the way the company runs anyway. They’re not a cloud service, they claim they are a social network for image hosting. So they have no duty of care with user’s personal data or privacy.

      • SSTF@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        2·
        10 hours ago

        The rule is essentially hidden if what I think are innocuous images contain a some image violating TOS. Which image is in violation? Which section of the TOS is it violating? I have no idea, therefore no idea how to follow the rule in the future.

        They are not legally binding

        So they have no duty of care with user’s personal data or privacy.

        I don’t recall making a legal complaint. Something can be legal but mildly infuriating.

        • dustyData@lemmy.worldEnglish
          03·
          8 hours ago

          Nope, they showed you a thing that said they got to erase anything and everything you uploaded at their own discretion for any reason, and you clicked “I agree”. So, not hidden.

          BTW, according to their TOS, they own everything you upload to their site. So they didn’t erase your album, they erased their album that they own now. So they don’t have to tell you shit about what image they didn’t like in their album.

          https://docdecoder.app/summary/imgur.com/terms-of-service