Photobucket faces backlash after demanding $400 a year for hotlinking

With little to no warning, Photobucket has demanded $400 per year if users want to place images hosted on the site into other sites, such as forums and eBay/Amazon listings.

The move has brought small online businesses to a screeching halt, as the pictures of their products have be unilaterally replaced with a Photobucket error image demanding payment.

The ransomware like maneuver has been called extortion and blackmail by an outraged user base.