Photobucket
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2003 |
| Product Type | Cloud |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | https://photobucket.com/ |
Photobucket is an image and video hosting website founded in 2003. It is estimated that around 2% of American internet traffic passes through the website.[1]
Anti-consumer practices
Biometric data selling
On July 22nd, 2024, Photobucket updated its terms of service to allow user biometric data such as facial features, iris, retina, finger or handprints and voice to be sold to third parties for the purpose of AI training. The policy is opt-in by default, meaning users are automatically included in the policy unless they state they manually choose to opt-out.[2]
According to the policy, "Opting out requires account deletion"[2] meaning users must delete their accounts to prevent their biometric data from being included in these transactions. Deleting your account after use does not guarantee that they will be able to recall your data, but they will stop selling it.
Scope of Use
- Primary Use: The stated purpose is AI and ML training.
- Additional Uses Permitted: The policy allows for "subsequent uses derived therefrom," indicating that once the data is used for AI training, it may also be utilized for other purposes.
- No Explicit Restrictions Beyond AI Training: While AI training is specified as an intended application, the policy does not impose a hard limitation on how biometric data or its derivatives may be used commercially.
In summary, the policy enables Photobucket and third parties to use biometric data primarily for AI training but does not restrict them from applying it to other commercial uses beyond that purpose.
Holding accounts behind a paywall
At some point in late 2024 or early 2025, Photobucket began emailing users of old accounts which had been locked or inactive for a lengthy amount of time. The content of these emails indicated that the users could regain access to the content in their accounts by paying, without allowing the users to even see what said content is.[3]
Users can bypass the paywall and download their account content by initiating the account deletion process, which triggers a link containing their photos to be sent to their email.
References
- ↑ Arrington, Michael (19 Apr 2006). "2% of U.S. Internet Traffic goes through Photobucket". Tech Crunch. Archived from the original on 2 Oct 2025. Retrieved 5 Apr 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Photobucket Biometric Information Privacy Policy". Photobucket. 22 Jul 2024. Archived from the original on 17 Jul 2024. Retrieved 5 Apr 2025.
- ↑ "Want to know what's in your Photobucket account before you pay them to reactivate?".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)