GifCities – The Geocities Animated GIF Search from Internet Archive
gifcities.orgWhat’s the business model behind sites like Giphy? Is there some geolocation data derived from their use that is then resold to buyers?
Ad, data collection, sale
You can't hotlink giphy and access a direct image send you to full page of ads. Same like imgur.
See also https://www.cameronsworld.net/