TalkImg.com - Image hosting for BitcoinTalk

[TryNinja]

I wouldn't make something as open as TalkImg, since otherwise after a few years I'd be getting like 100 DMCA takedowns per day which I'd have to figure out some way of processing. It'd have to be somehow a lot more restricted so that the long-term moderation burden isn't too high. I'd rather avoid having to do it at all.

I guess it wouldn't be so bad if you only allowed ranked Members to upload images + add some limits similar to what we have with DMs. It would be more convenient, for sure.

[un_rank]

I'd rather avoid having to do it at all.

If linking with Talkimg works, you may not have to. If possible, a link to the website can be available on the page to compose a message and anyone who clicks on the image link is redirected there in a new tab. This will reduce the time to go search for the topic thread like I normally do.

I guess it wouldn't be so bad if you only allowed ranked Members to upload images + add some limits similar to what we have with DMs. It would be more convenient, for sure.

The current image system only allows Jr. Member+ rank to post images, a forum system that works in similar way will work fine. There can also be some board restrictions for certain ranks, this will be for boards that gets lots of images regularly.

- Jay -

[theymos]

- Maybe bitcointalk.org could pay TalkImg a monthly fee for a contractual guarantee that they won't keep logs. TalkImg could then be exempted from the proxy, and furthermore they would have more resources to function well.

I decided that this plan is unnecessarily complicated, at least for now. So:
 - I already donated ~0.1 BTC to TalkImg, unconditionally and without discussing any of this with joker_josue.
 - If joker_josue merely promises that no logs are kept, then I think that that is sufficient for now, and I will exempt TalkImg from the proxy, once TalkImg is working again.

So if anyone is ultra-paranoid, be aware that your browser may start making connections to talkimg.com sometime soon. If you're really opposed to that, block it via a hosts file or something.

[LoyceV]

- If joker_josue merely promises that no logs are kept, then I think that that is sufficient for now, and I will exempt TalkImg from the proxy, once TalkImg is working again.

Joker_joshue just posted IP-addresses (used in the DDOS). His webhost may not even allow him to not keep logs.

So if anyone is ultra-paranoid, be aware that your browser may start making connections to talkimg.com sometime soon. If you're really opposed to that, block it via a hosts file or something.

Code:

127.0.0.1       talkimg.com
127.0.0.1       www.talkimg.com

[notblox1]

Never a boring time in bitcointalk
I am reporting that talkimg images are not working in forum again and they look like constantly loading but never opening.
Maybe this attackers are not only trying to hurt talkimg website but also to damage bitcointalk forum.

[minerjones]

Never a boring time in bitcointalk
I am reporting that talkimg images are not working in forum again and they look like constantly loading but never opening.
Maybe this attackers are not only trying to hurt talkimg website but also to damage bitcointalk forum.

This also applies to other image hosting sites like postimg.cc and imgbb.com

[AB de Royse777]

This also applies to other image hosting sites like postimg.cc and imgbb.com

The bitcointalk proxy is in attack and it is already in discussions :-D

[Zwei]

So if anyone is ultra-paranoid, be aware that your browser may start making connections to talkimg.com sometime soon. If you're really opposed to that, block it via a hosts file or something.

Code:

127.0.0.1       talkimg.com
127.0.0.1       www.talkimg.com

for those who don't know, you can find the hosts files (on windows) at this path: C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts
be sure to open notepad as an administrator and open the path from in notepad, otherwise you would not be able to save your edit.

if you do this, you will not be able to see any images hosted on talkimg.com, just so you know!

[joker_josue]

- If joker_josue merely promises that no logs are kept, then I think that that is sufficient for now, and I will exempt TalkImg from the proxy, once TalkImg is working again.

Joker_joshue just posted IP-addresses (used in the DDOS). His webhost may not even allow him to not keep logs.

These IPs were obtained through Cloudflare data. I had never used Cloudflare for talkimg.com before, this is the first time and so I had access to this data.

Now, it is true that many host servers do this logging, even temporarily. But, to access them, you will need to do a deeper investigation. I don't even have time to scratch my itch, let alone scrape IPs... I have more to do in life.

If the attack is still going on in a few days, I'll consider measures like these:
 - If there are any image hosts run by trustworthy companies where the privacy policy says that they don't keep logs, these could be exempted from the proxy. If you know of any, let me know.
 - Maybe bitcointalk.org could pay TalkImg a monthly fee for a contractual guarantee that they won't keep logs. TalkImg could then be exempted from the proxy, and furthermore they would have more resources to function well.
 - Bitcointalk.org could add support for uploading images directly.

First of all, I thank you for your trust, but as I say in the OP, I do not record any information. The only thing that is recorded in the database is the IP of the person who uploaded the image for spam control or upload cascade purposes..

Therefore, I am available to work to improve and follow the standards requested by Bitcointalk.

[JayJuanGee]

Never a boring time in bitcointalk
I am reporting that talkimg images are not working in forum again and they look like constantly loading but never opening.
Maybe this attackers are not only trying to hurt talkimg website but also to damage bitcointalk forum.

"They" are trying to stop the BTC price from pumping, but their efforts, so far, are not working.

 

[bitmover]

If the attack is still going on in a few days, I'll consider measures like these:
 - If there are any image hosts run by trustworthy companies where the privacy policy says that they don't keep logs, these could be exempted from the proxy. If you know of any, let me know.
 - Maybe bitcointalk.org could pay TalkImg a monthly fee for a contractual guarantee that they won't keep logs. TalkImg could then be exempted from the proxy, and furthermore they would have more resources to function well.
 - Bitcointalk.org could add support for uploading images directly.

First of all, I thank you for your trust, but as I say in the OP, I do not record any information. The only thing that is recorded in the database is the IP of the person who uploaded the image for spam control or upload cascade purposes..

Therefore, I am available to work to improve and follow the standards requested by Bitcointalk.

I think cloudflare will store some user data anyway, right? Like ip of people who sent files. ?

[I_Anime]

Sir  joker_josue, I was planning to upload some image in this forum , and I wanted to make use of talkimg.com like usual, so after the human verification

the page endup showing this. https://ibb.co/9YmJm3B

So just want to ask what may have been the issue, because I prefer using talkimg.com compare to the others because is more user friendly than the others.

I've try refreshing the page several times.

[dkbit98]

This is the message I received after opening TalkImg website today and trying to upload one image.
It looks like I am one of the cloudflare victims in fight against filthy attackers 
I am bit lazy to use any alternative, so I will just wait for storm to pass...

Sorry, you have been blocked
You are unable to access talkimg.com

[OgNasty]

This is the message I received after opening TalkImg website today and trying to upload one image.
It looks like I am one of the cloudflare victims in fight against filthy attackers 
I am bit lazy to use any alternative, so I will just wait for storm to pass...

Sorry, you have been blocked
You are unable to access talkimg.com

Same. Went to upload an image and got blocked. Noooo!!! (would have inserted Darth Vader image here)

[joker_josue]

I think cloudflare will store some user data anyway, right? Like ip of people who sent files. ?

In the case of Cloudflare, I don't know how they usually handle this data. But I also don't see them keeping logs from thousands of sites for the rest of their lives.

When someone uploads an image, the IP is recorded. You can use Tor, VPN, DNS or any other similar resource to influence this record. This resource has the sole objective of being able to ban any abuse that occurs. But, honestly, given these events, this becomes the least of my problems, so I will most likely be able to create a system so that this data can be eliminated from the BD.

[bitmover]

I think cloudflare will store some user data anyway, right? Like ip of people who sent files. ?

In the case of Cloudflare, I don't know how they usually handle this data. But I also don't see them keeping logs from thousands of sites for the rest of their lives.

When someone uploads an image, the IP is recorded. You can use Tor, VPN, DNS or any other similar resource to influence this record. This resource has the sole objective of being able to ban any abuse that occurs. But, honestly, given these events, this becomes the least of my problems, so I will most likely be able to create a system so that this data can be eliminated from the BD.

I think not storing that data would be the best option (from the user perspective). And let cloudflare handle the cases of abuses and possible ban.

[joker_josue]

Continued to work actively to mitigate the attack, hoping that it will end as soon as possible.

I have been creating several levels of blocking, which may affect the experience of some users. This is temporary, and I hope that everything returns to normal soon.

Appreciate your patience and understanding.

[Richy_T]

If the attack is still going on in a few days, I'll consider measures like these:
 - If there are any image hosts run by trustworthy companies where the privacy policy says that they don't keep logs, these could be exempted from the proxy. If you know of any, let me know.

I don't know how trustworthy such a privacy policy would be so that would require some level of trust.

- Maybe bitcointalk.org could pay TalkImg a monthly fee for a contractual guarantee that they won't keep logs. TalkImg could then be exempted from the proxy, and furthermore they would have more resources to function well.
 - Bitcointalk.org could add support for uploading images directly.

My main concern over image hosting is that as mentioned over in the wall observer thread, we are losing some of the images as time goes on. Sites die, accounts get deleted (all of Risto Pietila's google-based images are gone since he died and presumably his account was deactivated). Obviously, not all of the images are all that important but some may have archival importance. It would be nice to have something more integrated with bitcointalk so it persisted with the site. I also like talkimg. I wonder if it could be integrated into bitcointalk somehow (and share hosting, perhaps) and maintenance contracted to the current owner with the option that it remains the property of bitcointalk if the current owner abandons it. I have seen other SMF sites with integrated media hosting too. So, not sure.

[Richy_T]

Never a boring time in bitcointalk
I am reporting that talkimg images are not working in forum again and they look like constantly loading but never opening.
Maybe this attackers are not only trying to hurt talkimg website but also to damage bitcointalk forum.

Likely the forum is the main target and the attackers just saw talkimg as likely the easier target.

[NotATether]

If you can see this image, the forum's image proxy is working fine:

Negative, on my side.


Thing about Cloudflare, it's very cheap and therefore flimsy DDoS protection. I may sound like a broken record at this point, but DDoS-protected servers are the way to go. It's better for the attacks to be blocked at hardware level rather than relying on Cloudflare to contain everything for you. Because if the attackers already have your IP address, you're toast - and there are many commercial toasters DDoS stresser tools that can be rented for this purpose.

They (the servers I mean) are also extraordinarily expensive to lease, so probably not applicable to a site that's not bringing in lots of revenue per month.