I sincerely hope they find this young woman, but meanwhile it would be nice if:
1. The CHP did not rely on bit.ly; Surely link shorteners are a solved problem and it could be hosted on https://chp.ca.gov/ just as easily, be only a few characters longer, and look more trustworthy!
2. The webpage it redirects to wasn't on X, which tries to make you install its app, before actually showing the vital information.
LootLabs es una plataforma para monetizar contenido de videojuegos (Gaming) a través de su formato content locker, similar a los acortadores de links #DigitalMarketing #SideHustle #Gamers #URLShorteners #ContentLocker #Publishers #Influencers #LinkShortener
https://consejos-publicitarios.blogspot.com/2025/11/lootlabs-content-locker-para-monetizar.html
@notwhatwethink : unfortunately, yes.
If I open https://virustotal.com, select "URL" and copy/paste
https:// flip.it/rIUQA6 (without the space I inserted)
in the resulting "Details" tab I see (after I've removed the privacy invasive junk starting with the question mark):
https:// www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/data-for-health/202509/the-lithium-link-to-alzheimers
Above too I inserted a space to prevent *Mastodon* from shortening the link. Without the space, this is what you and I get to see:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/data-for-health/202509/the-lithium-link-to-alzheimers
Most Mastodon instances shorten the *visual* alternative of actual links, therefore using third-party URL shorteners is not neccessary.
There are multiple advantages of using direct links instead of commercial data-collecting detours.
One of them indeed is privacy. I'm not sure whether https://flip.it and https://flipboard.com are owned by the same company, but although your and my data IS their business, who and when clicks which link should be NONE of their business.
Please help improving internet privacy (+ security + reliability) by providing the actual link you end up on (instead of using URL shorteners operated by internet leeches).
More info in ALT under the image. Questions? Please ask!
Depuis quelques temps je vois passer dans les timelines des liens externes en share[.]google. Ils sont créés par Discover, une fonctionnalité d'Android qui permet de partager les articles de presse qu'elle affiche dans son flux d'actualités personnalisé. Comme je ne l'utilise pas, il m'a fallu un moment pour piger… 😅
Les raccourcisseurs de liens sont inutiles sur Masto (chaque url compte pour 23 caractères). En plus, ils cachent l'adresse du lien, ce qui peut faciliter les attaques de type phishing. Et la pérennité de ce genre de services n'est pas garantie. Google vient justement d'annoncer l'abandon de goo[.]gl avant de changer d'avis en catastrophe le 1er août. Beaucoup d'autres, comme tr[.]im et su[.]pr, ont déjà disparu au fil des ans.
Si vous aimez Discover, vous ignorez peut-être que le raccourcissement automatique des liens peut être désactivé dans les préférences : « Sur votre téléphone ou tablette Android, ouvrez l'appli Google. En haut à droite, appuyez sur votre photo de profil ou initiale puis Paramètres puis Général. Désactivez l'option Raccourcir les liens vers les pages Web. »
Gérer vos préférences pour les pages Web dans l'appli Google : https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/7013866
@waxy Google just cannot keep itself from killing its own products, can it? I'm honestly surprised that YouTube still exists, tbh.
Which Link Shortener offers the best CPM Rates right now? Can a URL Shortener really pay $70 per 1,000 Views? Here’s What You Should Know #DigitalMarketing #SideHustle #URLShorteners #LinkShorteners #WebMonetization #Blogs
Linky-io es una plataforma digital que permite a los usuarios ganar dinero por compartir publicaciones y enlaces o aumentar el tráfico web #SideHustle #DigitalMarketing #Warez #SEO #Blogs #Descargas #URLShorteners #Blogging
https://consejos-publicitarios.blogspot.com/2025/04/linky-io-gana-dinero-por-publicar.html
@eloquence
Having posts or other indexed/indexable content refer to URL shorteners is dangerous for referrals/archiving/…:
#ArchiveTeam, the people behind e.g. the effort to archive US government websites in a hurry—before they were deleted/changed in an even greater hurry by the current administration, write about #URLShorteners:
"Such services are a ticking timebomb. If they go away, get hacked, or sell out, millions of links will be lost (see Wikipedia: Link Rot)."
https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/URLTeam
Jochie 👨🏻💻🏳️🌈
Digital Fraktion
Kurt
Kevin Karhan 
Erik van Straten
Birdo de Todon
The Agender Kiwi
Marcel Waldvogel