Subject: GNU-Darwin Action: Twitter, MySpace, redirection and short URLS<

From: proclus@gnu-darwin.org

Subject: GNU-Darwin Action: Twitter, MySpace, redirection and short URLS

Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 23:53:55 -0500 (EST)

      To: gnu-darwin-distribution@lists.sourceforge.net  Cc: gnu-darwin-ports@lists.sourceforge.net  

I am deeply concerned about the potential for abuse in the short url scheme that is used in Twitter and MySpace. I have seen a case where one of these types of urls was misdirected contrary to the aim of the poster. Users may not realize that these types of urls can be redirected on the fly to make a link appear as if it were from you, when it was not. Once the message is posted, the target of the redirection is out of the user's control. Moreover, if these types of urls are used to point to volatile content, such as sites that are under DMCA take down threat, I do not doubt that the urls could be arbitrarily redirected, before due process has taken its course.

It should be noted that a similar threat exists in the redirection schemes that are used by Google and Facebook. At least, we would know in those cases who was doing any fraudulent redirection. MySpace on the other hand is crawling with the very types of vermin who lent great support to DMCA passage, and they have huge economic incentives to redirect clicks that you intended to go elsewhere.

In an ideal world, where all of the players had good notions of fairness, this technology would be good and useful. Sadly we must consider the possibility that such is not the case. Please be wary of such schemes.

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Regards,
proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

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Michael L. Love

gnudarwin

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