Facebook Blocking Links Shortened To J.mp With Bit.ly
Facebook confirmed that it is blocking j.mp links from status updates and posts to pages for security reasons, and is working on rectifying the situation with Bit.ly.
Some Bit.ly shortened web addresses are bouncing back with error messages on Facebook. The company has confirmed that it is blocking j.mp links from status updates and posts to pages for security reasons, and that hopefully this is a tempoary measure.
When we asked Facebook about these error messages, we got the same email response that our friends at TechCrunch did:
As part of our effort to keep Facebook and the people who use our service secure, we closely monitor the content shared on the site for spam and malicious content. At the time we blocked j.mp, more than 70% of j.mp links pointed to spam or other security issues. We are working with bit.ly to resolve the issue.
Facebook operates its own link shortener, FB.me, but doesn’t appear to be blocking the Bit.ly in order to get people to use the social network’s own tool.
Other address shortening tools seem to work just fine, as far as Facebook is concerned. Arch-rival Google’s own goo.gl gave us the link goo.gl/wUqdm that posted as a status update quite smoothly.
Readers, have you encountered any errors with link shortening on Facebook? Are some of these services more prone to spam, viruses and malware than others? Do you think the social network did the right thing in blocking the j.mp addresses?
