photobucket
{{short description|American photo storage and image hosting website}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Photobucket
| logo = Photobucket new logo.svg
| logo_size = 250px
| url = {{official URL}}
| commercial = Yes
| type = Image hosting service
| registration = Optional (required for uploading files)
| language = English
| owner = Photobucket.com, Inc.
| author = Alex Welch, Darren Crystal
| launch_date = {{start date and age|2003|5|8}}
| current_status = Active
}}
Photobucket is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community based in Denver, Colorado, United States. Photobucket once hosted more than 10 billion images from 100 million registered members. Links from personal Photobucket accounts were often used for avatars displayed on Internet forums, storage of videos, embedding on blogs, and distribution in social networks. Images hosted on Photobucket were frequently linked to online businesses, online auctions, and classified advertisement websites like eBay and Craigslist.
The website was founded in 2003 by Alex Welch and Darren Crystal and received funding from Trinity Ventures.{{Cite web|title=2% of U.S. Internet Traffic goes through Photobucket|url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/04/19/2-of-us-internet-traffic-through-photobucket/|website=techcrunch|access-date=June 25, 2017|archive-date=October 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016171439/https://techcrunch.com/2006/04/19/2-of-us-internet-traffic-through-photobucket/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=PhotoBucket Closes $10.5M From Trinity Ventures|url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/05/14/photobucket-closes-105-from-trinity-ventures/|website=techcrunch|access-date=June 25, 2017|archive-date=October 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016171440/https://techcrunch.com/2006/05/14/photobucket-closes-105-from-trinity-ventures/|url-status=live}} It was acquired by Fox Interactive Media in 2007. In December 2009, Fox's parent company, News Corp, sold Photobucket to Seattle mobile imaging startup Ontela. Ontela then renamed itself Photobucket Inc. and continues to operate as Photobucket.{{cite web|title=It's Official: Ontela Bought Photobucket from News Corp.|url=http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2010/02/05/it%E2%80%99s-official-ontela-bought-photobucket-from-news-corp/|website=xconomy|access-date=February 11, 2010|archive-date=August 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819012414/https://xconomy.com/seattle/2010/02/05/it%E2%80%99s-official-ontela-bought-photobucket-from-news-corp/|url-status=live}}
In late June 2017, Photobucket dropped its free hosting service, and started requiring a US$99 annual subscription to allow external linking to all hosted images, or a US$399 annual subscription to allow the embedding of images on third-party websites, such as personal blogs and forums. This policy change, enacted with minimal advance notice, has been highly controversial. Even years after abandoning free accounts, Photobucket keeps sending email "offers" that variously attempt to cajole or threaten users to switch to the paid plan.{{Cite web|title=Photobucket's bizarre emails are the last straw for many people|url=https://www.aqueous-digital.co.uk/articles/photobuckets-increasingly-aggressive-emails-are-the-last-straw-for-many-people/|access-date=2023-12-12|website=Aqueous Digital|language=en-GB|archive-date=November 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118203140/https://www.aqueous-digital.co.uk/articles/photobuckets-increasingly-aggressive-emails-are-the-last-straw-for-many-people/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Photobucket.com, Inc. {{!}} Complaints {{!}} Better Business Bureau® Profile|url=https://www.bbb.org/us/co/denver/profile/retail-photo-finishing/photobucketcom-inc-1296-90107959|access-date=2023-12-12|website=www.bbb.org|language=en|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207213340/https://www.bbb.org/us/co/denver/profile/retail-photo-finishing/photobucketcom-inc-1296-90107959/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Kenseth|first=Lars|title=All the Urgent Messages I Have Received from Photobucket|url=https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/all-the-urgent-messages-i-have-received-from-photobucket|access-date=2023-12-12|website=McSweeney's Internet Tendency|language=en|archive-date=November 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118203139/https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/all-the-urgent-messages-i-have-received-from-photobucket|url-status=live}}
At its peak, Photobucket employed 120 people and accounted for 2% of American internet traffic. In 2019, the company employed 10 and ranked approx. 1,500th according to Alexa Internet.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2018-12-13|title=Photobucket: From Rise of Fame to Breaking Billions of Photos to Present Day|url=https://www.photographytalk.com/photography-articles/9055-photobucket-from-rise-of-fame-to-breaking-billions-of-photos|access-date=2023-12-12|website=PhotographyTalk|language=en|archive-date=November 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118204538/https://www.photographytalk.com/photography-articles/9055-photobucket-from-rise-of-fame-to-breaking-billions-of-photos|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Lee|first=Dami|date=2019-06-24|title=Photobucket still has your photos, and it wants you to come back|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/24/18701132/photobucket-photo-storage-pricing-flickr|access-date=2023-12-12|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=November 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118204537/https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/24/18701132/photobucket-photo-storage-pricing-flickr|url-status=live}}
History
Photobucket was founded in 2003 by Alex Welch and Darren Crystal and received funding from Trinity Ventures.{{Cite web|title=2% of U.S. Internet Traffic goes through Photobucket|url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/04/19/2-of-us-internet-traffic-through-photobucket/|website=techcrunch|access-date=June 25, 2017|archive-date=October 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016171439/https://techcrunch.com/2006/04/19/2-of-us-internet-traffic-through-photobucket/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=PhotoBucket Closes $10.5M From Trinity Ventures|url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/05/14/photobucket-closes-105-from-trinity-ventures/|website=techcrunch|access-date=June 25, 2017|archive-date=October 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016171440/https://techcrunch.com/2006/05/14/photobucket-closes-105-from-trinity-ventures/|url-status=live}} It was acquired by Fox Interactive Media in 2007.
In December 2009, Fox's parent company, News Corp, sold Photobucket to Seattle mobile imaging startup Ontela. Ontela then renamed itself Photobucket Inc. and continues to operate as Photobucket.{{cite web|title=It's Official: Ontela Bought Photobucket from News Corp.|url=http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2010/02/05/it%E2%80%99s-official-ontela-bought-photobucket-from-news-corp/|website=xconomy|access-date=February 11, 2010|archive-date=August 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819012414/https://xconomy.com/seattle/2010/02/05/it%E2%80%99s-official-ontela-bought-photobucket-from-news-corp/|url-status=live}}
In 2011, Photobucket became the default photo sharing platform for Twitter.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/pda/2011/jun/01/twitter-photobucket|work=The Guardian|first=Jemima|last=Kiss|title=Photobucket: Twitter's surprise new partner for photo-sharing tool|date=June 1, 2011|access-date=December 16, 2016|archive-date=August 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816111225/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/pda/2011/jun/01/twitter-photobucket|url-status=live}} At that time, according to a report by Sysomos, 2.25M images were shared on Twitter daily, which accounted for 1.25% of all Tweets posted.{{cite web|title=How People Currently Share Pictures On Twitter|url=http://blog.sysomos.com/2011/06/02/how-people-currently-share-pictures-on-twitter/|date=June 2, 2011|website=blog.sysomos|publisher=Sysomos|access-date=June 2, 2011|archive-date=August 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110802233224/http://blog.sysomos.com/2011/06/02/how-people-currently-share-pictures-on-twitter/|url-status=dead}}
On November 15, 2012, Photobucket announced the availability of "Photobucket Stories" which enables the user to combine photos, videos, and text into complete, sharable narratives. {{cite web|title=Photobucket Unveils "Stories" Feature for Creating Lasting Multimedia Narratives|url=http://blog.photobucket.com/photobucket-unveils-stories-feature-for-creating-lasting-multimedia-narratives/|website=blog.photobucket|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116040752/http://blog.photobucket.com/photobucket-unveils-stories-feature-for-creating-lasting-multimedia-narratives/|archive-date=16 January 2013}}
On June 28, 2017, Photobucket changed its Terms of Use regarding free accounts and third party hosting (hosting on forums, eBay, etc.). Only the most expensive plan, at US$399.99 per year, permitted third party hosting and linking to forums.{{Cite web|url=http://photobucket.com/terms|title=Photobucket - Photo and image hosting, free photo galleries, photo editing|website=Photobucket|access-date=June 30, 2017|archive-date=July 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701044629/http://photobucket.com/terms|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://support.photobucket.com/hc/en-us/articles/200724444-Photobucket-Subscription-Pricing-Info|title=Photobucket subscription pricing 2019|access-date=2019-10-07|website=photobucket.com|archive-date=October 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007110314/https://support.photobucket.com/hc/en-us/articles/200724444-Photobucket-Subscription-Pricing-Info|url-status=live}}
In 2017, Denver Better Business Bureau gave the company an "F" rating, the worst they issue, citing fifteen complaints related to the change in terms and no response from the company.{{cite web|title=Denver Business Journal: BBB issues warning about Photobucket|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2017/09/13/photobucket.html?ana=twt|website=bizjournals|access-date=September 16, 2017|archive-date=September 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915063659/https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2017/09/13/photobucket.html?ana=twt|url-status=live}}
On May 17, 2018, Photobucket introduced new plans, including US$24.99/year that included 3rd party hosted images.{{cite web|title=Beginner Plan|url=http://photobucket.com/beginner-plan/|website=Photobucket|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517114734/http://photobucket.com/beginner-plan/|archive-date=17 May 2018}}
In 2019, they introduced two plans that include third party hosted images, US$29.99/year with 2 GB or US$69.99/year with 20 GB.{{cite web|title=Beginner + and Intermediate Plans|url=http://photobucket.com/plans/|website=Photobucket|access-date=September 24, 2017|archive-date=September 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925022249/http://www.photobucket.com/plans/|url-status=live}} Effective {{nowrap|June 1, 2019}}, free Photobucket and the "beginner" paid plan accounts were restricted to a hosting bandwidth of 25 MB per month.{{cite web|title=Photobucket Plans|url=https://photobucket.com/plans/|website=Photobucket|access-date=January 20, 2020|archive-date=January 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200120215821/https://photobucket.com/plans/|url-status=live}} Free accounts who use more than 25 MB of bandwidth will have all of their hosted photos watermarked and blurred.{{cite web|title=Photobucket is going to start blurring/watermarking pics|url=https://www.sevenstring.org/threads/photobucket-is-going-to-start-blurring-watermarking-pics.336021/|website=sevenstring|access-date=September 15, 2019|archive-date=November 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123214511/https://www.sevenstring.org/threads/photobucket-is-going-to-start-blurring-watermarking-pics.336021/|url-status=live}}
On December 11, 2024, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Photobucket after the company changed its privacy policy to allow Photobucket to sell user's photos to companies training AI models. The lawsuit alleges that Photobucket violated privacy laws in California, New York, and Illinois by using the photos without obtaining user consent, forcing users to agree to Photobucket's new privacy policy to delete their accounts, using sensitive geolocation and biometric data in the training data, and violating intellectual property laws.{{Cite web|last=Belanger|first=Ashley|date=2024-12-11|df=mdy-all|title=Photobucket opted inactive users into privacy nightmare, lawsuit says|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/12/photobucket-sold-users-biometric-data-without-consent-lawsuit-says/|access-date=2024-12-14|website=Ars Technica|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Riley|first=Tonya|title=Photobucket Sued for Training AI With Photos Without Consent|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/privacy-and-data-security/photobucket-sued-for-training-ai-with-photos-without-consent|access-date=2024-12-14|website=Bloomberg Law}}
Features
Photobucket offers subscription-based accounts.{{cite web|title=Photobucket offers subscription based accounts|url=http://photobucket.com/plans|website=Photobucket|access-date=September 24, 2017|archive-date=September 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925022249/http://www.photobucket.com/plans/|url-status=live}} Photobucket supports video uploads of 500 MB or less, and 10 minutes or less. The following video file types are supported: 3g2, 3gp, 3gp2, 3gpp, avi, divx, flv, gif, mov, mp4, mpeg4, mpg4, mpeg, mpg, m4v, and wmv. All video files are converted to mp4 format after uploading.
On February 6, 2013, Photobucket announced a partnership with Aviary, an image editing application suite.
Photobucket has three privacy options for albums: public, private, and password-protected privacy. Only public albums display in Photobucket or web search search results. Photobucket does not allow sexually explicit or objectionable public content.{{Cite web|title=Photobucket.com Terms of Use|url=http://photobucket.com/terms|website=Photobucket|access-date=February 3, 2007|archive-date=May 25, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525211814/http://photobucket.com/terms|url-status=live}}
= Fuskering =
Although it is possible to set Photobucket albums to "private", this does not prevent the photos within being accessed by someone who knows or can guess the URL. Programs called fuskers exist, which can test for likely photo URLs. This has led to "private" photos on Photobucket being downloaded and distributed elsewhere on the Internet without the consent of their uploaders.{{cite web|last=Read|first=Max|title=Ladies: 8,000 Creeps on Reddit Are Sharing the Nude Photos You Posted to Photobucket|url=http://gawker.com/5932702/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812044039/http://gawker.com/5932702/|archive-date=August 12, 2012|access-date=August 16, 2012|website=Gawker Media|publisher=}}{{cite web|last=Notopoulos|first=Katie|title=The Dark Art Of "Fusking"|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/the-dark-art-of-fusking|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812050225/http://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/the-dark-art-of-fusking?|archive-date=August 12, 2012|access-date=August 16, 2012 |website=BuzzFeed}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|2}}