The Smiling Pirate

Shortened URL’s date back to 2001  but have become extremely popular since the inception of Twitter. A URL that is 60 characters long can be shortened to about 15 characters by simply using a URL shortening service. Once of the most popular services to date is TinyURL which was used by Twitter up until 2009. Now Twitter uses bit.ly to shorten URL’s.

Now, we can all agree that URL shortening is essential for applications such as Twitter and can be very helpful when you have to share a URL with someone since they are easier to remember. But how safe are the short URL’s that these services are providing? Do you really know where the short URL is going to take you? We’re putting our confidence in these shortening services and hoping that they aren’t directing these short URL’s to a malicious page with malware or a virus or a page with pornographic content.

Knowing that your next short URL could possibly be compromised, why not take the extra step to ensure that it isn’t before sending it out to the world? Longurl.org is a site that provides a standard API for multiple URL shortening services that will show you a preview of your short URL. You can see exactly where the link will take you if you were to click on it. You can now browse the Web comfortably knowing where that short URL is going to take you.

Grab a short URL and visit Longurl.org to try it for yourself.