Will Twitter's twt.tl URL shortener kneecap competitors?

Filed under: Security, Web services, Social Software, Microblogging

In response to a bunch of recent phishing scams on Twitter -- all of which took advantage of Direct Messages and shortened URLs -- Twitter has decided to launch its own URL shortener to boost security.

The new shortener is called twt.tl -- little? Twittle? I think I get it! -- and it will allow Twitter to find malicious links as they're shortened, rather than waiting until they've been direct messaged to everyone under the sun.

But what of Twitter's url-shortening partner, Bit.ly?

Twitter elevated Bit.ly to the number one spot in the shortening market by making it the default for shortlinks, but it looks like the service might become a casualty of Twitter's security concerns. That won't happen for a while, though, because twt.tl's initial rollout will be for direct messages -- and email notifications about direct messages -- only. I'd bet on seeing it spread to the public timeline eventually, though.

Will Twitter's twt.tl URL shortener kneecap competitors? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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