Facebook Blocks All Bit.ly Links [Updated]

Palo Alto, California-based social networking site Facebook has blocked and marked Bit.ly services as “abusive,” resulting in dead links. Currently, sharing webpage through Bit.ly links is impossible. Users are greeted with a message stating that the service has been flagged by other users as either “abusive or spammy.” Many Facebook users have already expressed their discontent regarding the situation.

The following message is displayed when a Bit.ly link is used:

“This message contains blocked content that has previously been flagged as abusive or spammy. Let us know if you think this is an error.”

At the moment, it’s unknown whether Facebook has purposely blocked Bit.ly or if the issue has been caused by a bug. The company has yet to address the issue. We have asked Facebook for official comment on the matter. We will update as soon as the company gets back to us. Stay tuned.

Update: All Bit.ly links are back to normal. Facebook has not yet released official comment or statement regarding the problem. We’ll be sure to update if they do.

Update II: Facebook responded to us, stating that the issue was a “temporary spam prevention measure.”

A Facebook spokesperson explains:

“Sometimes, spammers try to hide their malicious links behind URL shorteners like Tiny URL or bit.ly, and in rare cases, we may temporarily block all use of a specific shortener. If you hit a block while using a URL shortener, try a different one or just use the original URL for whatever you’re trying to share.”

For more information about Spam prevention on Facebook, visit the Facebook Blog.