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HN Challenge:

Make a URL shortener service which allows you to send a link to someone from within facebook - but it blocks all known FB domains and IPs from viewing said URL.

It will only take the first click on it then expire. if all the first clicks are from FB - it would mean that FB is pre-emptively scanning and tracking all URL messages - even before users actually visit.



Why would Facebook need to visit your site to record that somebody liked it?


You misunderstood me.

This would not be for likes - but for visits.


Facebook certainly does pull any pages you link to, it scans 'em for images and puts those images into the message too along with a title and excerpt. This is occasionally annoying but makes messages prettier.


I'd forgotten about that somehow. Looks like we have our smoking gun! Hard to claim its surreptitious though.


I guess I don't understand why you think Facebook is scanning/visiting links, nor why I should care about that.




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