# Approval Queue and User Verification

If you are here, you must be wondering why your upload got held up in an approval queue instead of being posted directly.

Shortly speaking - **this is to protect our users from illegal imagery.**

# Images

#### **What happens to the image while it's not approved?**

The image will not appear in any search results and will be impossible to be linked to via our on-site image embedding syntax. It is still viewable via a direct URL.

#### **Why did my upload require approval?**

We require that all uploads from users without an account, as well as unverified registered users go through the approval queue where a staff member can decide whether it's illegal content (Rule #5) or not.

#### **Will my image lose views because of this?**

No! Once approved, your image appears in search results and on the home page as if it was uploaded at the time of approval.

#### **Is this some kind of censorship?**

No. We are strictly checking for whether or not the imagery is illegal (Rule #5) or not. This is not "Quality Control" in any way whatsoever.

#### **How do I get verified?**

First of all - register an account. Once you upload a certain (small) amount of images that get approved by the staff members, your account will be evaluated and depending on staff evaluation, you will be granted verification. Once verified, your uploads will bypass the approval queue and be automatically approved. Please note that staff evaluation of accounts may take up to a week, but will usually take a day or two.

#### **Where can I check if I'm verified?**

As of the moment of writing this article - you cannot. If you're unsure if you're verified or not, simply ask a staff member via PMs.

# Comments and forum posts

Comments and forum posts are also subject to additional moderation measures now.

#### **Why can't I embed external images into my comments or posts?**

Users without an account cannot use the image embed syntax (`![](image url)`) at all.

#### **Why does my comment/post require additional approval?**

If your account is relatively new, any of your posts/comments that contain the image embed syntax (`![](image url)`) must go through staff approval before they're publicly visible and searchable.
