- CNET, Wednesday, June 8, 2011 11:51 AM
As expected, Twitter has started automatically shortening URLs pasted into tweets by its users. "When users compose a tweet and paste a link of any length into the Tweet box, Twitter will
automatically abbreviate the link to 19 characters when users hit send," CNet writes. In development for nearly a year, the service is being rolled out slowly, and will wrap and abbreviate all links
shared on the site in the same way other URL-shortening services (think, Bitly) do.
As CNet notes, Twitter said user security played a major role in implementing the new service.
"Since we show a shortened version of the original link, people will know which site the link points to," Twitter stated. "This service also increases security. If users click links that are reported
as malicious, we direct them to a page that warns them."
Read the whole story at CNET »
