@JapanProf : I have a request to you: please refrain from using URL-shorteners on Mastodon.
Note: this is not intended as criticism, but purely educational.
It is none of their (the owners of URL-shorteners) business who and when clicks on a specific link.
Most internet users can't even guess how personal-data-hungry entities on the internet are, collecting as much as possible information about them, selling (or inadvertently leaking) that infornation for profit.
As a matter of fact, Mastodon excellently shortens long URLs in such a way that the most relevant information of each URL is visible in toots. So there is no reason whatsoever to use commercial third party shorteners (other than to make a third party wiser and richer).
Edited to add at 16:26 UTC: In fact, here's the URL that you were indirectly referring to:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/world/middleeast/middle-east-israel-iran-hezbollah.html?unlocked_article_code=1._k0.czft.UUpwDPJV7GBF
When using touch screens, pressing a bit longer on them reveals the full URL. When using a mouse, right-clicking provides such information.
ADDITIONAL REASONS: apart from the privacy issues mentioned, there are some relevant security concerns when using third pary URL shorteners (such as tinyurl.com, bit.ly, t.co etc.), including:
1) By looking at third-party shortened URL, the internet user won't know in advance to which website (identified by their domain name) their browser will be redirected (by the shortener service). If they trust *you*, they may forget to inspect the domain name (in the address bar of their browser) where their browser ends up. If your Mastodon account gets hacked, and an impostor toots third-party-shortened links to malicious websites on your behalf, you may feel sorry that you ever used them.
2) Even if an owner of a URL-shortener won't forward the visiting user's browser to a malicious website TODAY, they may change their mind TOMORROW. Or they may sell their business to less ethical people.
3) Sometimes URL-shortening services just stop functioning, or their disk may crash without having a decent backup. Links will go dead.
Note: sometimes proponents or owners bomb us with texts such as "if you add <whatever> to the link, it'll tell you where you're heading". It is absurd to ask people to jump through all kinds of hoops - just because a third party wants to steal your data.
Spamhaus researchers have observed an almost 30yr old expired domain, "Fiberlinkcc[.]com" which has been revived to aid the hijack of multiple IP blocks belonging to both inactive and active businesses.
A full report will follow in the coming weeks..
