pro-tip: if you ever get a bit.ly link that you don't trust, add a "+" to the end of the URL so you can be taken to the info page instead
@ExperimentV @mhmd neat.
Still don't really like shorteners but this is good
@mhmd
This also works with a lot of other shortened links as some of them are branded bit.ly links and some other services have copied that function:
@mhmd
Why do people still use link shorteners? Char limited social networks like Mastodon and Twitter use a fixed size for every link and unlimited social networks, forums, blogs etc don't need shortening anyways
I encountered one or two cases where it seemed to make some sense. For example providing a link in a picture.
But on the bit.ly info page you are nevertheless exposed to privacy risks: server in USA, several third-party connections (Amazon, Google Analytics) storing 15 cookies...
If a bit.ly link is not really important to me, I just leave it aside. Else, I use an online tool like this one to see where it leads:
https://webbkoll.dataskydd.net/en/results?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3AOKQTQ%2B#requests
@mhmd @digitalcourage In the past, you could also see statistics there...
@mhmd what if I don't trust bit.ly?