Link Unshortener is updated today in the Mac App Store. Link Unshortener expands shortened web links, following redirects until it reveals the destination URL, and it allows you to open the destination URL in any web browser.
You can take advantage of the StopTheMadness Link Unshortener Bundle to get both apps for a discount, and complete the bundle if you already have one of the two!
Here's what's new in Link Unshortener version 12.0:
gbraid, wbraid, s_cid, and yclid to the list of known trackers trimmed from URL queries. Removed linkId from the list, because it's used by non-trackers.Let me explain the Twitter issue in more detail. Twitter has started to require cookies to be enabled in order to view a tweet, even if you're not logged in to Twitter. If you block all cookies in Safari's Privacy Settings, you'll see this:
Likewise, you would see an infinite redirect error in Link Unshortener. To protect your privacy, Link Unshortener does not use cookies or any other site data.
You can see what's happening at a technical level from the command line in Terminal app:
% curl -i https://twitter.com/AppleSupport/status/1660669971653967872
HTTP/2 302
date: Thu, 25 May 2023 12:37:04 GMT
perf: [redacted]
vary: Accept
server: tsa_b
location: /AppleSupport/status/1660669971653967872
set-cookie: guest_id_marketing=v1%3A[redacted]; Max-Age=63072000; Expires=Sat, 24 May 2025 12:37:04 GMT; Path=/; Domain=.twitter.com; Secure; SameSite=None
set-cookie: guest_id_ads=v1%3A[redacted]; Max-Age=63072000; Expires=Sat, 24 May 2025 12:37:04 GMT; Path=/; Domain=.twitter.com; Secure; SameSite=None
set-cookie: personalization_id="v1_[redacted]=="; Max-Age=63072000; Expires=Sat, 24 May 2025 12:37:04 GMT; Path=/; Domain=.twitter.com; Secure; SameSite=None
set-cookie: guest_id=v1%3A[redacted]; Max-Age=63072000; Expires=Sat, 24 May 2025 12:37:04 GMT; Path=/; Domain=.twitter.com; Secure; SameSite=None
content-type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
x-powered-by: Express
cache-control: no-cache, no-store, max-age=0
content-length: 62
x-transaction-id: [redacted]
strict-transport-security: max-age=631138519
x-response-time: 15
x-connection-hash: [redacted]
Found. Redirecting to /AppleSupport/status/1660669971653967872
(I've [redacted] some information in the curl output just in case it personally identifies me in some way.)
HTTP 302 is the status code for a redirect, with the redirect location /AppleSupport/status/1660669971653967872, which is the same path as the original tweet! Hence the infinite redirect. But the catch is the set-cookie headers. If cookies are enabled in your browser, then the cookies will be set successfully, and the next time you load the same URL—after the redirect—your browser will send the set cookies to the server, and the server will recognize and accept you instead of redirecting you. That's how cookie tracking works.
Link Unshortener version 12.0 detects this situation and simply stops processing the redirects. It still avoids using cookies.