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Are MySpace links to msplinks.com spyware?

Dave, there are a bunch of new comments on my MySpace profile that link to "msplinks.com", even though they look like they're from different people. Is this some sort of unified attack on my profile or what?


Dave's Answer:

If you've been around on MySpace for any length of time, you'll know that spammers are a real problem. Whether they're leaving undeleteable comments (which you can still delete if you know the secret: delete undeleteable myspace comments), sending out bulletins trying to garner inbound links from other profiles, or even just pestering you with email or friend requests, they're the "bad neighbors" of the MySpace world.

In the grand scheme of things, I realize that spam comments on a MySpace profile isn't really much more than an annoyance, but if you're like a lot of people and you spend tons of time and effort on your profile, they can be a real nuisance!

On to your question!

One way that MySpace is trying to limit spammers is to take away the temptation of adding links in comments and bulletins by masking them with a redirect. The idea is that if someone leaves a comment for you with, say, a link to "www.some-lame-spam-site.com", the MySpace system will now automatically change that to be a link to their new redirect server (yes, that's what msplinks.com is) which then ultimately bounces anyone who clicks to the lame site.

So why bother? Why worry whether links to spam sites show up directly on profiles or not? Because of Google. Yep, Google and other search engines determine how important a page is based on how many other pages point to it, so when these spammers are leaving seemingly innocuous comments on your profile, what they're really doing is trying to gain more "points" with Google so that their own pages are more findable in the search engines. Sneaky, eh?

With this change, that tactic will no longer work because it'll be msplinks.com that'll gain all the inbound link love from the search engines, not the individual spam sites.

Now you can see that far from representing a coordinated attack on your profile, it's actually a good thing and one that should, in a few months, start to ease the crush of spam traffic on MySpace itself and on all of our individual profiles.

Btw, "Tom" (really MySpace Corporate) had a note about it a few days ago:

MySpace new service: link redirects with msplinks.com

You could also just do a domain ownership query of the msplinks.com domain too. Try it at Network Solutions and you'll find the following:

Registrant:
	MySpace, Inc.,
	(DOM-1610477)
	P.O. Box 900
	Beverly Hills
	CA
	90213-0900
	US

So now you know, and now you know the post office box address for MySpace too. Beverly Hills, very tony indeed! :-)

By the way, since we're talking about MySpace, don't forget that you can "friend" me on MySpace by visiting my profile on MySpace and that AskDaveTaylor has lots and lots of MySpace Help too.

Oh, and if you are surfing the web - which you're obviously doing since you're here on my site! -- then you must have both a solid antivirus solution and anti-spyware solution. I recommend AVG Antivirus for the former and Spy Sweeper for the latter.


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Reader Comments To Date: 9

Monkey SEO said, on May 10, 2007 3:09 PM:

i posted about this too, with screen shots. funny, thing was when i was testing all the various forms of communication on myspace (comments, bulletins, blogs, etc.) a spammer quickly found a way to still spam me via blog comments.

Penny said, on May 18, 2007 9:04 AM:

On my myspace profile at the top left there is a link to another website overlapping my 'home' link, so i can't click home from my profile. Is there a way of getting rid of the link?
Thanks,
Penny.

Alejandro said, on May 28, 2007 11:38 AM:

Thank you Dave,
I was trying to use myspace as a Social Commentary just like the savethechildren space for the Non profit I volunteer at. How would I go about doing that?

Thank You in advance

Newbie Mysapcer
Alejandro

unknown said, on June 5, 2007 2:29 PM:

hey um how can we get on myspace when our schools as block alot of sites to go on myspace..do u have webistes to go on myspace when they cannot block it

TJ said, on August 4, 2007 3:10 PM:

i want a link on my mysoace when u click on it it will add you to who ever clicks on its top friends :) please give me that code

thanks

-TJ

Rob said, on September 23, 2007 8:39 PM:

I spent many hours over the course of a year designing two random quote generators on my private AOL (paid account). They are two simple pages each with only one link back to MySpace! But the new msplinks have rendered the paths inaccessible from my MySpace page. What is it that's so threatening? My AOL acct. or the quote generator from Lycos HTML Gear? I've emailed their Help Desk 3 times and received the same generic non-answer to my problem. (Their troubled Goth msg. boards are no help either) If they are suggesting that I'm a phisher that's laughable! I don't even have "friends" or contact people via MySpace--It's just a design hobby in my lonely life. But I get the last laugh... MySpace and its paranoid geeks are more pathetic!

jonathan said, on September 25, 2007 7:46 AM:

erm, i would just like to add abit of info you missed off about msplinks.com
myspace runs ALL its 3rd party links(i.e. the general user) through msplinks.com, so just because it says it msplinks.com, it doesnt mean its spyware.
but yes, be wary, it can link to anywhere, but if its just normal 'ole matey sends you a very unfanciful message which clearly would of written by them with a link, its going to go exactly where they say it will!

DarkVader said, on October 19, 2007 8:32 PM:

Well, this IS spyware - it's just myspace that's doing the spying.

You see, by converting all links to a redirect to their site, they can see every link that's clicked from myspace. I suspect these aren't considered covered by any privacy policy...

alex said, on December 4, 2008 10:35 PM:

hey i have somefake
and do you have something
to show to my friends

i wannt a list of fakes
but how can i made it
please you can tell me

Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!











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