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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:

email Tutorial
|INDEX|next: E-mail Viruses

E-mail Dangers

Until we find out who the people are who actually buy things from spammers and kick them off the Internet, you're going to have to learn how to deal with and prevent spam.
E-mail Viruses - Learn how viruses are spread through e-mail and how to stop them
Phishing - Spot and avoid lures that pull you into the dark side of the web
Don't be one of those people that loses thousands of dollars to the classic Nigerian Scam.

E-mail Etiquette

Use CC only when necessary and BCC the rest of the time.
Use Reply-All when you mean to and never when you don't.
Practice proper E-mail Forwarding to protect privacy and make e-mails more readable.
Always personalize your e-mails to make it obvious to your recipient that it's valid.

E-mail Tips and Tricks

Using E-Mail Aliases Properly - Be careful about using sensitive data (like your real name) in an e-mail account.
Remember to treat your e-mail account with the security it deserves.
Use a decoy e-mail account to keep your main e-mail account free of spam.
Avoid using any Internet provider's default e-mail.

... 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]

Preventing Spam

Spam is annoying and worthless, but you still see it every single day. Here are some tips for preventing and reducing spam.

[Click for full description]

E-mail Viruses

Make sure that viruses don't sneak onto your computer through your e-mails. Read some simple tips to prevent that from happening.

[Click for full description]

Phishing

By far the most dangerous thing you'll find in e-mails is a lie. Sending a bogus e-mail to someone is generally called phishing, but can also be referred to as a Nigerian scam (depending on the goal of the e-mail). Learn to recognize and deal with phishing before it's too late.

[Click for full description]

Nigerian Scam

Many people have lost thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars to the classic Nigerian Scam. Don't fall for it!

[Click for full description]

How to Use "CC" Properly

Don't violate people's privacy and invite spam into their accounts by CC'ing all your contacts. Learn the proper way to send mass e-mails first.

[Click for full description]

Reply-All

It's easy to embarass yourself or harm your career when you don't know how to use Reply-All appropriately.

[Click for full description]

How to Forward E-mails Properly

Don't forward e-mails carelessly or you risk looking foolish as best and violating the privacy of all your contacts at worst.

[Click for full description]

Personalize E-mail

Follow this simple rule of e-mail etiquette to help prevent your friends and family from falling for phishing scams.

[Click for full description]

Using E-Mail Aliases Properly

It can be hard to find a good name to use in an e-mail account that hasn't been used and doesn't give away too much information about you.

[Click for full description]

Protecting E-mail Passwords

Your e-mail account is the most important online account you have. Remember to treat it as such!.

[Click for full description]

Using a Decoy E-Mail Account

Why it's very important to use a buffer e-mail account to shield your main account from people and companies that you don't trust.

[Click for full description]

The ISP E-mail Trap

Don't fall for the trap of using the free e-mail account provided to you by your Internet service!

[Click for full description]