Episode 514 Security Issues With Link Shortners
Show Summary
Rob Cairns from Stunning Digital Marketing discusses the security risks associated with using link shorteners like bit.ly. He argues that these shortened links can conceal malicious websites, making it difficult for users to assess the safety of a link before clicking. Cairns shares his agency’s policy of avoiding link shorteners due to these potential security concerns and the importance of trust in online interactions. He suggests exploring alternative methods for obtaining statistics without compromising user security. The podcast is a production of Stunning Digital Marketing and expresses appreciation for family members.
Show Transcript
Hey everybody, Rob here again. In today’s quick tip podcast, I wanted to continue with themes I was working on. Last week, I talked about QR codes and the issues with um QR codes and why they were a bit of a problem security-wise. And today, I Going to continue that with link shorteners. We all like to use sites like bit.ly. And the cool thing with bit.ly is it gives you statistics about who clicks on the link, etc. Makes them a little shorter to share. But there’s a problem with them, and that’s security. A lot of malware uh hackers are putting out nefarious websites behind shortened links. And with the shortened link, You can’t always tell it till you get to the website. So, I’ve made a choice in my agency on social media. I don’t use a link shortener. I actually refuse because of the potential security risks that people who don’t know me, might not know me well, might not trust that link. And frankly, that’s a bit of a problem because I want them to click on the link. And I refuse actually to click on any shortened links unless I know exactly who it’s coming from. Remember, security is based on trust. And if you’re not sure what’s coming from, how can you trust that person? So, that’s why I don’t use a link shortener. I think you should really consider whether you use one or in today’s day and age yourself. There’s other reasons ways to get statistics. Don’t use them. Move on. Rob Cairns why link shortness is security risk. Have a great day everybody. Bye for now.
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