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Google Warns: bit.ly Links Are Unsafe

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Re: Google Warns: bit.ly Links Are Unsafe

#21

Post by warfangle »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #10
petercooper wrote: post #4

Google is definitely not a fan. I send a lot of email each month (it's my business) and having bit.ly links in mail is a fast track to Gmail's spam folder or, in some cases, being rejected entirely. (Note: I'm talking bulk mail, not personal mail.)

Why would you use bit.ly links in email?

Because they want to track clicks on links to URLs that they don't control the content of. Otherwise they'd be using utm_ query parameters and an in-site analytics system.

Bitly links in email are super super shady.

Re: Google Warns: bit.ly Links Are Unsafe

#22

Post by warfangle »

kuschku wrote: post #15
corobo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HTTP has an API for that too, just make a HEAD request to the shortened URL and see where the Location header sends you

Yeah, sadly doesn’t always work. Goo.gl and youtu.be sometimes send an http page consisting of " rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opoDBF_b-fg&feature=youtu.be... Which makes it far more complicated. Another occasion where it’s appropriate to say “Fuck you, Google!” (also fuck you for disabling audio/video control on chrome mobile from JS, EXCEPT for google.com/youtube.com etc)

Ummm... Html5 audio/video api works just fine on chrome mobile.

IOS safari is the bad actor, there ;)

Re: Google Warns: bit.ly Links Are Unsafe

#23

Post by rapcal »

Every bit of technology provides benefits and threats. URL shorteners are no exception: they definitely add value (and I don't mean just from the sender's perspective, but also on the recipient's end, eg. by allowing you to customize web addresses making it easier for people to remember them) but can also lead to harm (obfuscating links to malware).

It's like saying a hammer is a useless tool because it can bust your thumb.

Re: Google Warns: bit.ly Links Are Unsafe

#24

Post by silon3 »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #10
petercooper wrote: post #4

Google is definitely not a fan. I send a lot of email each month (it's my business) and having bit.ly links in mail is a fast track to Gmail's spam folder or, in some cases, being rejected entirely. (Note: I'm talking bulk mail, not personal mail.)

Why would you use bit.ly links in email?

To signal spam content ;)

Re: Google Warns: bit.ly Links Are Unsafe

#25

Post by gpvos »

mcintyre1994 wrote: post #11
justincormack wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes it does, as you cannot sanely identify what the link is first.

Just FYI, you can append a + to a "bitlink" to preview it's url and see some stats. http://support.bitly.com/knowledgebase/articles/136551-can-i...

Yeah, like that's obvious or well-known.

Re: Google Warns: bit.ly Links Are Unsafe

#26

Post by tux3 »

petercooper wrote: post #4

Google is definitely not a fan. I send a lot of email each month (it's my business) and having bit.ly links in mail is a fast track to Gmail's spam folder or, in some cases, being rejected entirely. (Note: I'm talking bulk mail, not personal mail.)

If you're sending spam, it's only appropriate that it goes in the spam folder.

It seems to me that google is doing a good job, here.

Re: Google Warns: bit.ly Links Are Unsafe

#28

Post by troels »

warfangle wrote: post #21
PhasmaFelis wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you use bit.ly links in email?

Because they want to track clicks on links to URLs that they don't control the content of. Otherwise they'd be using utm_ query parameters and an in-site analytics system. Bitly links in email are super super shady.

Are they though? They could just set up their own redirection service on their own domain - not anything complicated in that. My guess is they use it because it's just a simple way for marketing to add some analytics - that doesn't have to be shady.

Re: Google Warns: bit.ly Links Are Unsafe

#29

Post by userbinator »

kuschku wrote: post #15
corobo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HTTP has an API for that too, just make a HEAD request to the shortened URL and see where the Location header sends you

Yeah, sadly doesn’t always work. Goo.gl and youtu.be sometimes send an http page consisting of " rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opoDBF_b-fg&feature=youtu.be... Which makes it far more complicated. Another occasion where it’s appropriate to say “Fuck you, Google!” (also fuck you for disabling audio/video control on chrome mobile from JS, EXCEPT for google.com/youtube.com etc)

Perhaps this would be a good time to advocate link shorteners that use the standard HTTP redirect mechanism (bit.ly is one of them), so they can be HEAD'ed, and not some additional layer of obfuscation either via meta-redirect or (even worse) bury the target in some minified and obfuscated JS.
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