MicrLinkMicrLink/aup

effective April 21, 2026

Acceptable use policy.

MicrLink is a free service that redirects short URLs to longer ones. To keep the service working for everyone, there are some things it cannot be used for. This policy is part of the Terms of Service — if you break these rules, we can disable your links and block your IP from creating new ones, without notice or refund.

What you cannot shorten

Illegal activity

  • URLs that distribute or link to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). We report to NCMEC (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) and cooperate fully with law enforcement.
  • URLs that facilitate fraud, identity theft, or financial crimes.
  • URLs that incite imminent violence or facilitate threats against identifiable individuals or groups.
  • URLs that distribute illegal drugs, weapons, or other contraband, where prohibited by applicable law.
  • URLs that violate U.S. sanctions (including OFAC-listed countries, entities, and individuals).

Malicious software and phishing

  • Links to malware, ransomware, spyware, keyloggers, cryptocurrency miners, browser exploits, or any other hostile software payload.
  • Phishing pages designed to steal credentials, payment information, or personal data by impersonating another service.
  • Links to command-and-control infrastructure for botnets or other offensive operations.
  • Links that trigger downloads of executable files without clear user consent, or that otherwise exploit browser or OS vulnerabilities.

We scan destination URLs against threat intelligence databases (Google Safe Browsing, PhishTank) before creating a short link. Known-bad URLs are rejected automatically.

Spam and unsolicited traffic

  • Sending MicrLink URLs in unsolicited bulk email, SMS, DMs, or forum/comment spam.
  • Using MicrLink links inside pyramid schemes, MLM recruitment campaigns, or “get rich quick” promotions.
  • Automated link creation at a scale that degrades the service for other users. We rate-limit link creation per IP; evading rate limits through proxies, VPN rotation, or distributed scripts is prohibited.
  • Using MicrLink to evade bans, rate limits, or blocklists on other services (sometimes called link laundering).
  • Chaining shorteners — pointing a MicrLink URL at another URL shortener (e.g. bit.ly, tinyurl, t.co). This is a well-known spam technique and our system will refuse to shorten any URL whose destination is itself a known shortener. Shorten the original destination, not a pre-shortened link.

Harassment and harmful content

  • URLs whose primary purpose is to dox, threaten, harass, intimidate, or otherwise harm specific individuals.
  • Content that sexualizes minors in any way.
  • Non-consensual intimate imagery (“revenge porn”).
  • Content that incites or promotes self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders.

Intellectual property

  • URLs to pirated copyrighted content (movies, TV, music, software, books, etc.).
  • URLs that violate third-party trademarks, including custom slugs that impersonate a brand or confuse users about the destination.
  • URLs that mirror paywalled content to evade a subscription requirement.

For copyright takedowns, see the DMCA policy. For trademark disputes, use the abuse report form with reason “trademark.”

Technical abuse

  • Probing, scanning, or attacking our infrastructure.
  • Attempting to bypass authentication or access administrative functions.
  • Overwhelming the redirect endpoint with traffic to induce denial of service.

Enforcement

When we identify a violation, we may take any of the following actions without prior notice:

  • Disable one or more short links.
  • Block the IP address or address range from creating new short links.
  • Reclaim a premium slug that was reserved in violation of this policy. No refund is owed for reclaimed premium slugs.
  • Report the violation and user information (IP, timestamps) to law enforcement or the relevant trust-and-safety authority.
  • Preserve relevant records in response to legal process or valid subpoenas.

Reporting violations

If you see a MicrLink URL that violates this policy, file a report. We review every report. High-severity reports (phishing, malware, CSAM) are prioritized.

last updated April 21, 2026 · this is not legal advice