A URL Shortener is a technique in which a URL may be made shorter and still redirect to the original long page.

Most URL Shorteners are free and easy to use but come with limitations.

Google shut down its Google URL Shortener in 2018 with continued support until March 30, 2019. However, all existing links will continue to redirect to the intended destination.

Top URL Shortener Services on the Internet

1. Bitly.com

Bitly offers a free and enterprise version of its URL shortening service. No signup necessary, but creating an account allows you to manage links quickly and change the short link characters if you wish.

According to this Quora answer, the enterprise version of Bitly costs around $995/month.

Pro Tip: add + after the short link to access analytics of any bitly link. bitly.com/link+

2. TinyURL

A simple shortener that requires no sign-up and allows users to customize the keyword. The service is free to use, but there is no analytics.

3. Short.io

The best shorten link provider so far, it has so many useful features such as google analytics integration, bulk import, broken links detection, built-in analytics with so many details, link cloaking, and more.

Cost: affordable compared to similar solutions.

4. Rebrandly 

Rebrandly is one of the popular URL shortener services in the market. It’s the most complete and reliable link management platform. Their solution provides the easiest way to create, measure, and manage short URLs with a custom domain name.

You can buy your domain name using Rebrandly, tag your URLs using UTM tagging, allow social media pixels to optimize for conversions, and more.

It’s expensive compared to other solutions.

5. eg.gd

eg.gd is a new URL shortener service that offers the same as rebrandly but for free. It was launched last year when bit.ly service was blocked in Egypt.

Lendo, a Saudi Arabia-based shariah-compliant debt crowdfunding marketplace, has raised SAR 105 million ($28 million) in Series B funding led by Sanabil Investments, a wholly-owned company by the Public Investment Fund (“PIF”). The round saw participation from Shorooq Partners, AB Ventures and other investors.

Lendo is a Shariah-compliant, debt crowdfunding marketplace that helps pre-finance outstanding invoices for businesses in Saudi Arabia. The platform is a community of creditworthy borrowers and sophisticated investors looking for alternative investments. The platform is licensed by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). Lendo will use the funds to support its fast-growing customer base in Saudi Arabia which has grown 3X year-on-year, introduce more innovative financing products, and accelerate market expansion plans.

“With this funding round, we are going to expand into new markets, support new and current customers, and launch new Shariah-compliant products, all the while continuing to innovate the marketplace for digital lending. We are going to make financial services more accessible, affordable, and inclusive for everyone. I am excited to see what the future holds for our company,” said Osama Alraee, CEO, and co-founder of Lendo, who also disclosed its plans for an IPO within the next few years.

Alraee has also expressed his gratitude to SAMA (Saudi Central Bank), Fintech Saudi, MCIT, Misk, and Monshaat for their unwavering support, emphasizing the pivotal role they have played in advancing financial inclusivity and fostering innovation in partnership with Lendo to reshape the financial landscape. Their dedicated efforts in advancing financial inclusivity and fostering innovation have been invaluable to us. We greatly appreciate their partnership in our mission to transform the financial landscape

Commenting on the announcement, Sanabil Investments said: “Lendo is a leading fintech company that is transforming the financial services industry in their specialist area of Shariah-compliant digital lending for SMEs. The Lendo team, especially the founders, Osama and Mohamed, have achieved a significant amount in a relatively short period, and we are eager to join their journey of increasing access to flexible financial solutions in Saudi Arabia and the region at large.”

“The growing demand for alternative, agile, and accessible lending solutions presents a significant opportunity. At Lendo, we are well-positioned to lead the charge in promoting financial inclusion not only in Saudi Arabia but also beyond. By fueling SME growth, we aim to contribute to the realization of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic goals and to create a ripple effect of opportunity throughout the MENA region,” said Mohamed Jawabri, COO, and co-Founder of Lendo.

Lendo previously raised a SAR 27 million Series A funding round ($7.2 million) in 2021 led by Derayah Ventures with participation from Seedra Ventures and other investors, bringing the fintech’s total funding to SAR 132 million ($35.2 million).

Since the inception of Dec 2019, Saudi fintech Lendo has processed more than 2,500 financing transactions on its platform, providing over SAR 1 billion ($300 million) in financing to SMEs and generating SAR 140 million ($37 million) returns for investors.

The Small and Medium Enterprise financing landscape in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) presents a substantial market opportunity as limited financial access continues to restrict the growth of the region’s businesses, with commercial banks hesitant to issue loans to SMEs at scale, resulting in a high percentage of declined financing requests annually. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the SME financing gap is estimated at SAR 19.5 trillion ($5.2 trillion) every year in developing countries.

Lendo’s debt crowdfunding platform aims to bridge the financing gap for SMEs, which aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030 to significantly expand SME lending from 4% in 2018 to 20% by 2030.

The total value of debt crowdfunding in Saudi Arabia surged from 1.4 million SAR in 2019 to SAR 771 million in 2022, marking a remarkable 430% growth, according to SAMA’s annual fintech report 2022.

Meta has identified over 400 malicious Android and iOS apps designed to steal Facebook login information and compromise people’s accounts.

These apps are disguised as photo editors, games, VPN services, business apps, and other utilities to trick people into downloading them. Some examples include:

• Photo editors, including those that claim to allow you to “turn yourself into a cartoon”
• VPNs claiming to boost browsing speed or grant access to blocked content or websites
• Phone utilities such as flashlight apps that claim to brighten your phone’s flashlight
• Mobile games falsely promise high-quality 3D graphics
• Health and lifestyle apps such as horoscopes and fitness trackers
• Business or ad management apps claim to provide hidden or unauthorized features not found in official apps by tech platforms.

How do these apps work?

Malicious developers create malware apps disguised as apps with fun or useful functionality — like cartoon image editors or music players — and publish them on mobile app stores.

To cover up negative reviews by people who have spotted the defunct or malicious nature of the apps, developers may publish fake reviews to trick others into downloading the malware.

Malicious apps- Image Credit: Meta

When a person installs the malicious app, it may ask them to “Login With Facebook” before they can use its promised features. If they enter their credentials, the malware steals their username and password.

If the login information is stolen, attackers could gain full access to a person’s account and do things like message their friends or access private information.

How to protect Facebook accounts from malicious mobile apps?

Malware apps often have telltale signs that differentiate them from legitimate apps. Here are a few things to consider before logging into a mobile app with your Facebook account:

1. Requiring social media credentials to use the app: Is the app unusable if you don’t provide your Facebook information? For example, be suspicious of a photo-editing app that needs your Facebook login and password before allowing you to use it.
2. The app’s reputation: Is the app reputable? Look at its download count, ratings, and reviews, including negative ones.
3. Promised features: Does the app provide the functionality it says it will, before or after logging in?

What to do if your Facebook account is compromised?

Suppose you believe you’ve downloaded a malicious app and have logged in with your social media or other online credentials. In that case, we recommend that you delete the app from your device immediately and follow the following instructions to secure your accounts:

1. Reset and create new strong passwords. Never reuse your password across multiple websites.
2. Enable two-factor authentication, preferably an Authenticator app, to add an extra security layer to your account.
3. Turn on log-in alerts so you’ll be notified if someone is trying to access your account. Review your previous sessions to ensure you recognize which devices have access to your account.

Malicious apps- Image Credit: Meta

• It’s also recommended to report malicious applications that compromise Meta accounts through the Data Abuse Bounty program.

What are the 400 malicious apps?

Meta provided a list of more than 400 malicious apps in a blog post so users can check to see if they have downloaded any of them. Some apps include Beauty Camera, Kangaroo VPN, Magic Horoscope, and QR Barcode Scanner.