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Long URL Please – Firefox Plugin for Link Safety

Sunday, March 6th, 2011 (No comments yet)

If you didn't know, because of Twitter and other social sites with space restrictions on posts, there are new "url shortening" services out there like "tinyurl" that instead of showing you something like this:

http://lifehacker.com/5234539/long-url-please-replaces-shortened-links-with-the-real-thing

Shows you something like this instead http://tinyurl.com/cblos7

The advantage is that you save valuable space on your tweets or blog posts, but the disadvantage is that you have no idea where you're really going. Considering that sometimes the only thing that keeps you from getting hacked is NOT going to bad websites, these shortening services present an enormous risk to your computer security.

However, if you go to the Lifehacker article linked above, you'll find an article that describes a plugin for Firefox that will replace the shortened URL with the full one (providing several different options for how they are displayed.

A side by side comparison of a typical string of tweets (short urls included) and what they look like after being expanded

To get the plugin, follow the link from the Lifehacker article, or just click here to go directly to the plugin's page.

Alternatives

If you aren't using Firefox or can't install the plugin for some reason, most shortening services have a preview function that allows you to see the URL you're going to before actually going there. To activate the preview feature, do the following:

Tinyurl: Prefix with "preview"
From – http://tinyurl.com/cblos7
To – http://preview.tinyurl.com/cblos7

Is.gd: Suffix with a dash
From – http://is.gd/3KvWm
To – http://is.gd/3KvWm-

Bit.ly: Suffix with + (not an official preview funciton, but does show title and URL anyway)
From – http://bit.ly/info/aq44T
To – http://bit.ly/info/aq44T+

Cli.gs: Not currently possible
Snipurl: Not currently possible

firefox Tutorial
prev: TACO|INDEX|next: Noscript

Firefox Plugins

Improve your security and reduce the annoyance factor of the Internet at the same time by blocking Internet ads.
Block marketers from tracking your online activities with the Targeted Advertising Cookie Opt-out plugin.
Undo the great risk of following 'shortened links' from social network sites with the Long URL Please Plugin.
Disable all Internet scripts for nearly rock-solid security online
Enable HTTPS everywhere that it's possible to do so with this simple plugin.
Remove annoying tables, graphics, or anything else to make reading easier and printing cleaner.
The Onion Router (TOR) helps you browse the web without giving away your identity to the websites you visit.

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Check out one of my guides/tutorials:

goodbye identity theft Tutorial
|INDEX|next: Credit Freeze

Too Late!

If you've already become a victim, here is a list of things you should do.

Solving ID Theft

Lock your credit reports with a Credit Freeze to prevent credit-based ID theft (90% of ID theft risk).
Learn to protect your information to prevent not only ID theft, but many other kinds of problems (the rest of ID theft risk).

Save Time and Money

cancel credit-monitoring services.
Cancel id-theft-insurance

Who is Responsible?

Sometimes you just have to wonder why it's so easy to steal identities in the first place.

... or check out any of my other guides and tutorials by clicking here!

Adblock Plus - Firefox Ad Blocker

With a simple Firefox plugin, you can block all those annoying ads you see all over the Internet.

[Click for full description]

BEEF TACO (Targeted Advertising Cookie Opt-Out)

TACO will automatically set and protect the cookies that opt you out of online tracking by marketers.

[Click for full description]

Long URL Please - Firefox Plugin for Link Safety

Undo the danger of "URL shortening services" by adding this cool plugin to Firefox. Optionally learn the tricks to preview URLs before visiting if you don't use Firefox.

[Click for full description]

Noscript

Use Noscript to block scripts on every site except the ones you actually trust.

[Click for full description]

HTTPS Everywhere

Web companies sacrifice your security for their wallets by leaving HTTPS protection off. Use this plugin to turn it back on by default (where available).

[Click for full description]

Nuke Anything - Stop Wasting Ink By Printing Stuff You Don't Want

With a simple Firefox plugin, you can remove any object from a webpage that you can see. This can make the pages easier to read, but also save money when printing.

[Click for full description]

The Onion Router (TOR)

Using the TOR network, you can prevent websites from knowing who you are.

[Click for full description]

The Identity Theft Victim's Mini-Guide to Recovery

If you've already experienced ID theft, here are some tips of what to do next.

[Click for full description]

Credit Freeze

Setting a credit report freeze is the fastest and most effective way to actually block and reduce your risk of ID Theft. And it's free.

[Click for full description]

Out and About Defense

The best defense against non-credit ID Theft and a variety of other risks is to adopt a mindset of protection: Data Defense. Learn how to protect your information with simple and sometimes free countermeasures all based on a simple philosophy that the less people who have your information, the safer you are.

[Click for full description]