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 said in a statement. "This
service also increases security. If users click links that are reported as malicious, we direct them to a page that warns them."