Taptalk app hijacking Amazon "shortened" links!!!!

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James Steele
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Taptalk app hijacking Amazon "shortened" links!!!!

Post by James Steele »

This is seriously pissing me off. I just discovered tonight that Tapatalk is HIJACKING the "shortened version" of Amazon.com links when posted on boards like this and not sending you to the intended product on Amazon, but to some BS site called supper offers.com!

For example, if you are using on Amazon in your web browser and use the share button like below....

amazonsharelink.jpg
amazonsharelink.jpg (124.4 KiB) Viewed 1365 times


... you will get an abbreviated link that looks like this: https://a.co/d/2Iwv8oD

If you are using a web browser that link will take you to the intended product. In this case it's a WD Blue NVMe drive.

However, if you are accessing this board through Tapatalk, it intentionally MISDIRECTS you over to some cheesy BS site called supperoffers.com. Below is a screenshot taken from my iPhone!

superoffersbs.jpg
superoffersbs.jpg (90.91 KiB) Viewed 1358 times


This is pretty outrageous! I'm not one to necessarily take the side of a giant corporation like Amazon, but I hope they sue the crap out of Taptalk, assuming they can. The absolute NERVE of Tapatalk to do this!!

So... I just finished just going back and editing a post and replacing several "shortened" Amazon.com links with the long version copied from the URL field of my web browser. What you need is to copy the part show below in blue highlight to the left of the "?"...

amazonurl.jpg
amazonurl.jpg (112.2 KiB) Viewed 1365 times


You get a link that looks like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JM8DJNS

When you click that in Tapatalk you will actually be properly directed to the page at Amazon.*
*UPDATE: I was wrong about this. Long version doesn't help. See my second post in this thread.

As far as when you may be accessing Amazon via the Amazon iOS app, you may not even have the opportunity to get this longer URL. Either way... this is lame and Tapatalk needs to knock this crap off!! :mumble: :mumble: :mumble: :mumble:
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James Steele
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Re: Taptalk app hijacking Amazon "shortened" links!!!!

Post by James Steele »

UPDATE:

Okay... so looks like the behavior is not exactly like I thought.

Apparently, and this is true for both the "shortened" AND longer Amazon.com URLs.

The FIRST TIME you tap either the shortened or long Amazon link from within the Tapatalk app, you are redirect to some cheesy alternate merchant that has probably paid them to do this.

If you tap "Done" to close the alternate site, returning to the message thread and tap the same link AGAIN, it takes you to where you were supposed to go the first time!

STILL, IT'S A STEAMING LOAD OF CRAP!
JamesSteeleProject.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Mac Studio M1 Max, 64GB/2TB, MacOS 14.5 Public Beta, DP 11.31, MOTU 828es, MOTU 24Ai, MOTU MIDI Express XT, UAD-2 TB3 Satellite OCTO, Console 1 Mk2, Avid S3, NI Komplete Kontrol S88 Mk2, Red Type B, Millennia HV-3C, Warm Audio WA-2A, AudioScape 76F, Dean guitars, Marshall amps, etc., etc.!
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