[UPDATED] Caveat Emptor: Using The ‘bit.ly’ and ‘ow.ly’ URL Shortener

Libya – formerly a state-sponsor of terrorism (and they should still be there IMHO) – is where the .LY domain comes from. Why does that matter? If you refuse to support rogue regimes like Muammar Gadaffi, then think twice about using the URL shorteners ‘ow.ly’ and ‘bit.ly’, or any other .ly shortner.

A quick primer on what a URL shortener is. For those of you who do lots of blogging and tweeting, long and indecipherable web links ( aka URL – Uniform Resource Locator) are a pain to type, and don’t always copy well. Many resources exist out there to shorten your URL from this:

http://maps.google.com/mapsf=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=1600+

Pennsylvania+Ave+NW,+Washington,+District+of+Columbia,+20500
&vps=4&jsv=180e&sll=38.906664,77.01931&sspn=0.07013,0.144024
&ie=UTF8&oi=georefine&ct=clnk&cd=2&geocode=FTyMUQId7oNow&
split=0&output=js&mpnum=11&abauth=813862a7:lEnbH_njJOnJhB7TY
AuVKaI5sH4&absince=881

To this:

http://tr.im/Cajl

So why should you care? Let’s take a look at the what’s involved. First, .LY is Libya. Remember them? State sponsors of terrorism. Responsible for blowing up Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland and killing 259 people. If it were me, I’d say you had me at hello. Second, .LY domains are controlled by Libyan Spider Network, the official Registrar for all domains in Libya. Check out the Terms of Service for .LY domains:

Any .LY domain name may be registered, except domains containing obscene and indecent names/phrases, including words of a sexual nature; furthermore domain names may not contain words/phrases or abbreviations insulting religion or politics, or be related to gambling and lottery industry or be contrary to Libyan law or Islamic morality, the same applies to the site content.

I refuse in any way, shape or form to be subject to, directly or indirectly, Libyan law. Libyan law mean Islamic law, which means Sharia. Here’s Article 2 from the Libyan constitution:

Article 2 [Religion]
The Holy Koran is the Constitution of the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

You make your choice – I made mine.

Related posts:

1. FBI Meeting With ISNA – Front For Hamas [UPDATED]
2. [UPDATED] Terrorism and Law Enforcement – A Dangerous Mentality
3. Guess Who Else Didn’t Know The Taliban Wasn’t a Terrorist Organization? [UPDATED]

Tagged as: bit.ly, islamic, law, Libya, sharia, shortener, URL