Bitly
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Legal Structure | Private |
| Industry | Software, Information Technology, Technology |
| Official website | https://bitly.com/ |
Bitly is a link management platform, offering url shortening and QR code generator services. Bitly, Inc. is a private technology company founded in 2008.
Consumer-impact summary[edit | edit source]
User Privacy: Users account credentails was compromised in a data breach.
Business Model: QR codes marketed as "free" on qr-code-generator.com later stop working unless a subscription is purchased, resulting in wasted marketing materials and unexpected costs.
Incidents[edit | edit source]
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Bitly category.
Data Breach (2014-05-08)[edit | edit source]
The company suffered from a data breach in May of 2014, resulting in 9.3 million of users' access credentials to be compromised.[1][2] The CEO Mark Josephson then published a blog post explaining the issue and providing the appropriate safety measures.[3]
QR-Code-Generator.com “free” QR code lockout (2025-07-30)[edit | edit source]
- Main article: QR-Code-Generator.com “free” QR code lockout
Bitly’s qr-code-generator.com advertises “free” QR codes but later disables them unless users pay, breaking printed materials and creating hidden costs for businesses.[4][5]
Products[edit | edit source]
- Bitly Link Management Platform
- QR-Code-Generator.com
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Bitly link-shortening service 'compromised'". BBC. 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
- ↑ "Bitly". haveibeenpwned.com. 2017-10-06. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
- ↑ Josephson, Mark (2014-05-08). "Urgent Security Update Regarding Your Bitly Account". Bitly. Archived from the original on 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
- ↑ "How can I reactivate my QR Codes?". QR Code Generator Support. 20 Jun 2024. Retrieved 15 Aug 2025.
- ↑ "I received a message saying that my QR Codes will be deactivated. What does that mean?". QR Code Generator Support. 11 Jun 2025. Retrieved 15 Aug 2025.