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The same applies to all of the link shorteners too. I've often wondered how much of the web would break if TinyUrl and Bit.ly closed.



This kind of already happened, in 2009: the URL shortener tr.im closed. Once in a while I still run across a broken tr.im link.

https://www.macworld.com/article/1142188/trim_twitter.html


There are many reasons not to use shorteners. There is also the matter of tracking where anyone can do everything to protect people's privacy, but if they got there through an URL-shortener, they're SOL.

I often think about the implications of using Google Analytics on my sites (I use the less unsafe anonymity IP detection"), but those concerns all go out the window, if they got there by shorturl.


I am surprised that third-party URL shorteners aren't time-limited by default. Why would you use a short URL for a long-lived link?




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