How to Link Windows Installer Through Bit.ly

bit.lylinksurl-shortening

I have released a Windows installer as open-source software (it is a well-known software with peer-reviewed article in scientific journal) and wanted to get some download metrics with bit.ly service, to see how it goes. My exe is on my dropbox account, since I don't have the money or support to buy hosting for this thing.

When I test the Windows link it redirects me to a page

Stop – there might be a problem with the requested link

The link you requested has been identified by bitly as being potentially problematic. This could be because a bitly user has reported a problem, a black-list service reported a problem, because the link has been shortened more than once, or because we have detected potentially malicious content. This may be a problem because:

Some URL-shorteners re-use their links, so bitly can't guarantee the validity of this link.

Some URL-shorteners allow their links to be edited, so bitly can't tell where this link will lead you.

Spam and malware is very often propagated by exploiting these loopholes, neither of which bitly allows for.

The link you requested may contain inappropriate content, or even spam or malicious code that could be downloaded to your computer without your consent, or may be a forgery or imitation of another website, designed to trick users into sharing personal or financial information.

bitly suggests that you

  • Change the original link, and re-shorten with bitly
  • Close your browser window
  • Notify the sender of the URL

Or, continue at your own risk

I have scanned my installer through the JOTTI virus scan and no anti-virus reports a even a single warning, my file is clean. I couldn't find any reference on how to solve this problem.

Is there any way to link an installer through bit.ly?

Is there anything else I can check?

Best Answer

Looks like what you are trying to do is considered suspicious activity by bitly. This seems to be related to you using two different unrelated services (Dropbox and Bitly). I don't think there is an "I'm an honest person" checkbox that you could mark to solve this.

Suggestions:

  1. Try another shortener, such as goo.gl (which also provides click analytics).
  2. If the problem persists, try a hosting & analytics combination from the same company (Google Drive and goo.gl, for example).
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