I think it has more to do with Apple than this site. Things have gone downhill since Mr. Jobs passed.
Apple has just become a huge PITA. I have more trouble with their software than I ever did with Microsoft, and that's saying a lot.
Since Photobucket is free, why not just use a dedicated account for public pictures? That's what I do. I like Photobucket because I can use it for posting photos on any site, not just this one.