Jun 14, 2021 07:00:00

What is the 'reason why you shouldn't use a URL shortening service'?

URL shortening services that shorten web page URLs are widely used to avoid character limits and improve readability. Meanwhile, the British public institution ' Government Communication Service (GCS) ' explains the misunderstandings and risks of URL shortening services.

Link shorteners: the long and short of why you shouldn't use them --GCS
https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/blog/link-shorteners-the-long-and-short-of-why-you-shouldnt-use-them/

◆ Common misconception # 1: When sharing a link on SNS, you need to use a URL shortening service
According to GCS, many people think that when sharing a link on SNS, it is necessary to shorten the URL using a URL shortening service to avoid the character limit.

However, at the time of writing the article,

many SNS such as Twitter and LinkedIn support their own methods of shortening URLs, so it is not actually necessary to use an external URL shortening service.

◆ Common misconception # 2: URL shortening service analyzes clicks etc.
Some URL shortening services are appealing to users that they have analysis functions such as the number of clicks on links.

However, SNS such as Twitter and Instagram provide their own analysis tools, so there is no need to use them as analysis tools for URL shortening services. 'If you want to enhance your analytics, use analytics-only tools such as

Google Analytics and the Urchin Tracking Module (UTM),' GCS said.

◆ Risk 1: Privacy cannot be protected
Each URL shortening service has its own privacy policy, and it is impossible for users of the URL shortening service to manage the privacy policy. Therefore, if a website visitor clicks on a 'link created using a URL shortening service', the privacy of the visitor may be threatened.

◆ Risk # 2: Deterioration of accessibility
The URL also serves to indicate the content of the web service you are accessing. For example, a user who sees the URL 'https://gigazine.net/ ' can infer that 'the top page of GIGAZINE can be accessed'. However, if you use a URL shortening service to generate a URL like 'https: //○.○/○○○/', the user cannot guess the web page to access.

◆ Risk # 3: Damage the brand's credibility
As mentioned above, the user can guess the web page to visit from the URL. So, for example, if the URL contains a domain called 'gov.uk', the user can trust the destination and click the link, saying 'I have access to a trusted source of information from the UK Government'. However, if you use a shortened URL service, you lose the trust of your users.

◆ Risk # 4: There is a possibility of spreading the risk
GCS pointed out, 'If GCS makes heavy use of external URL shortening services, it may instill in users the perception that it's safe to click on shortened URLs.' Based on this, GCS does not use an external URL shortening service to spread the recognition to users that 'URLs containing domains such as'gov.uk'and'nhs.uk' are official government information URLs.' Declares that.