Twitter has launched a new URL shortening service to fight the dark side of online marketing: spam.
Spam marketing has plagued all areas of the internet since the first commercial models were launched online. Whether its pop-up site hosting, search engine marketing or black-hat SEO techniques, each online advertising platform has had to take measures to discourage spam marketing and provide a viable marketplace – and a service that users actually want to use.
This isn’t just because spam tactics unfairly obscure advertising through sheer volume – it’s also because many spam advertisers abuse both end-user service policies and the security of those who fall for their messages.
Whilst until recently spam messages on Twitter had simply been an inconvenience, two weeks ago, reports emerged that several Twitter users were being victimised by phishing scams through links contained in direct messages.
Yesterday Twitter’s Trust and Safety team launched a new service, aiming to shut this practice down. It will be first seen in Direct Messages, where the phishing attacks have mainly taken place. All links sent through direct messages will be submitted to the new service, checked for spam – and then the URL will be shortened using a twt.tl root link.
Announcing the service, Del Harvey (twitter user ‘delbius’), the director of the Trust and Safety team, said on the official blog that the new service would “protect users” and “strikes a major blow against phising and other deceitful attacks.”
“By routing all links submitted to Twitter through this new service, we can detect, intercept and prevent the spread of bad links across all of Twitter. Even if a bad link is already sent out in an email notification and someone clicks on it, we’ll be able to keep that user safe.”
Social media, seen as containing massive untapped potential for online marketing, is particularly at risk from spam advertising. Many people see it as one of the driving forces behind the collapse of interest in MySpace; comments on user pages became filled with spam marketing and users were unable to make their voice heard among posts by botnets.
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