go.usa.govGo.USA.gov

An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know Here’s how you know Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. No Longer Supported The URL shortening service has been sunset and is no longer supported. If you clicked a URL Here’s what you can try: If you know the website you were trying to get to originally, you can go directly there and use the search box to try to find the content you were looking for. If you still can’t find what you are looking for, you can try contacting the person, agency, or organization who provided the short URL link. If you created a URL The URL shortener service was retired on September 18, 2022. For information and answers to common questions about sunsetting visit Sunsetting Frequently Asked Questions . FAQs How should I move forward? Do your outreach channels require short URLs? Consider if URLs that include your website’s domain have more value to your public and if your outreach tools require short URLs. Does using a URL shortening solution expose your customers to security risks? Consider the potential for abuse by malicious actors through the use of illegitimate redirects that can be abused via short URLs. Does using a short URL that isn’t based on your primary domain cause confusion with your customers? Consider the possible confusion the public may have if they visit shortened URLs that don’t include your website’s domain for information and it leads them to information they weren’t expecting. Will short URLs still work after September 18, 2022 (i.e. live on forever)? Since the original posting of these FAQs, we have been continuing to investigate ways of ensuring as many short URLs continue to work after the sunsetting as possible. Originally, we only felt confident in being able to ensure shortened links created prior to 2017 would continue to work due to some technical changes made to back then. However, we are now able to capture the majority of short URLs generated by the system since 2009 and anticipate that the majority of short URLs in existence on September 18, 2022 will continue to work after the sunsetting. What happens if a user tries to follow/access a short URL after the service is sunset? We have been able to capture the majority of short URLS generated by the system since 2009 and anticipate that the majority of short URLS in existence on September 18, 2022 will continue to work after the sunsetting. What can be done if short URLs were referenced in print publications? We have been able to capture the majority of short URLS generated by the system since 2009 and anticipate that the majority of short URLS in existence on September 18, 2022 will continue to work after the sunsetting. Will metrics be available for clicks made on a short URL after the service is sunset? No. Any clicks made on a short URL after the September 18th sunset date will not be updated and access to the metrics reporting functionality will no longer be available. What other URL shortener services are out there for agencies to use? Before looking for alternative URL shortening solutions, you may want to consider if you need a short URL at all. Many social media sites are no longer limiting character counts in URLs. Our research with the public strongly suggests that a URL from your own domain is the most trustworthy. For example, see Medicare’s Twitter feed. If you require short URLs, reach out to the agency’s IT office that runs your website. They may be able to create a redirect URL. There are also commercial URL shorteners available. However, your usage of these may be impacted by policies your agency has in place. How does this affect the other services I receive from GSA? The other services you receive from GSA are not affected. This notification is limited in scope to . Top USA.govAccessibility FOIA Privacy and Security Website Policies and Notices USAGov Is the Official Guide To Government Information and...