Re: Vintage SAAB Quiz: What's wrong with this picture?

- J
- Johannes H Andersen
  
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posted
19 years ago

Thu, Mar 17, 2005 11:51 AM

> > > > There are four things wrong with this picture: > >
formatting link
> > > ... Maybe more? > > I didn't continue looking after the first wrong thing -- the url. > The tinyurl entity is *evil* and I will never follow any of their > suspect links. > > | Hide your affiliate URLs > | > | Are you posting something that you don't want people to know what the > | URL is because it might give away that it's an affiliate link. Then you > | can enter a URL into TinyURL, and your affiliate link will be hidden > | from the visitor, only the tinyurl.com address and the ending address > | will be visible to your visitors. > > Why should anyone trust these urls after reading this text on tinyurl.com?

Seconded! Tinyurl is completely pointless. For security reasons, I never follow a tinyurl.

- R
- Retroed Bob
  
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posted
19 years ago

Thu, Mar 17, 2005 1:59 PM

I'm not sure there's any security value to _not_ following a tinyurl. It's no more "good or evil" than any other link you might follow.

- J
- Johannes H Andersen
  
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posted
19 years ago

Thu, Mar 17, 2005 2:07 PM

But they are still pointless. As you said: "I'm are not sure...". In fact that's the whole point! We don't know every weakness in our OS, browser etc., new security holes are discovered every day. I don't think posters of tinyurl are necessarily ill intended, but displaying the real url allow a second opinion.

- D
- Dave Hinz
  
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posted
19 years ago

Thu, Mar 17, 2005 3:23 PM

Well, let's say I'm at work, and follow one that takes me to a site that my employer has decided needs to be blocked for one of several various legitimate reasons. Now, I've got a "hit" for going somewhere that I shouldn't. If the URL is obfuscated by being hidden in a tinyurl, I don't have knowledge of where I'm going to have informed consent before going there.

If you run a good browser (anything but IE) or a secure OS (anything but windows), the actual system security issues are minimized to say the least, but it's just a "I don't know what I'm getting into" kind of thing. Again, from someone like Paul, I'm not going to worry, if it's from someone unknown, I'll ignore it & go on. Defeats the purpose of sharing a link if people won't click on it.