Terms of Service

Last Updated: January 21, 2026

Welcome to shorter.sh. By using our URL shortening service, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). Please read them carefully.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using shorter.sh ("Service"), you agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must not use our Service.

2. Description of Service

shorter.sh provides a URL shortening service that allows users to:

Convert long URLs into shorter, more manageable links
Track click statistics for shortened URLs
Access URL history through local browser storage
Share shortened links across various platforms

3. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree to use our Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree NOT to use the Service:

3.1 Prohibited Content

You may not create shortened URLs that link to:

Illegal Content: Any content that violates local, national, or international law
Phishing Pages: Websites designed to steal credentials, financial information, or personal data
Malware & Viruses: Sites containing viruses, trojans, spyware, ransomware, or other malicious code
Scams & Fraud: Fraudulent schemes, pyramid schemes, or deceptive content
Copyright Infringement: Content that violates intellectual property rights, trademarks, or copyrights
Hate Speech: Content promoting violence, discrimination, or hatred against individuals or groups
Adult Content: Pornography or sexually explicit material (unless legally compliant and age-verified)
Harassment: Content intended to harass, threaten, or intimidate others
Spam: Unsolicited bulk messages or commercial spam
Counterfeit Goods: Links to counterfeit or pirated products
Illegal Services: Drug sales, weapon sales, or other illegal services
Child Exploitation: Any content involving minors in inappropriate contexts (zero tolerance)

⚠️ Warning: Violations of these prohibitions may result in immediate termination of service, deletion of URLs, permanent ban from the service, and reporting to law enforcement authorities where applicable.

3.2 Prohibited Activities

You agree not to:

Use the Service to distribute spam or unsolicited messages
Attempt to bypass or circumvent any security features
Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Service
Use automated systems (bots, scrapers) without permission
Overload or disrupt the Service infrastructure
Impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation
Collect user data without consent
Use the Service for any form of surveillance

4. Intellectual Property Rights

4.1 Service Ownership

The Service, including its design, features, code, and branding, is owned by shorter.sh and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

4.2 User Content

You retain all rights to the URLs you submit. By using the Service, you grant us a limited license to store and display your URLs as necessary to provide the Service.

4.3 Trademark

The shorter.sh name, logo, and branding are trademarks. You may not use our trademarks without prior written permission.

5. Service Availability and Modifications

5.1 Availability

We strive to maintain high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free service. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to:

Scheduled maintenance
Emergency repairs
Technical difficulties
Factors beyond our control (DDoS attacks, infrastructure failures)

5.2 Modifications

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time with or without notice. We are not liable for any modifications, suspensions, or discontinuations.

6. Link Expiration and Deletion

Active Links: Shortened URLs remain active indefinitely under normal circumstances
Violation-Based Deletion: We reserve the right to delete any shortened URL that violates these Terms
Abuse Prevention: Links identified as malicious will be immediately disabled
Inactive Links: We may delete URLs inactive for extended periods (with notice when possible)
User Deletion: Users may request deletion of their URLs by contacting us

7. Privacy and Data Protection

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect your data in compliance with GDPR and other data protection regulations.

8. Account Security (Admin Accounts)

For administrative accounts:

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials
You are responsible for all activities under your account
Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access
We are not liable for losses due to compromised credentials

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

The Service is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" without warranties of any kind
We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose
We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages
We are not liable for damages resulting from use or inability to use the Service
We are not responsible for content accessed through shortened URLs
Our total liability shall not exceed €100 or the amount you paid us (whichever is greater)

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless shorter.sh, its operators, and affiliates from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

Your use of the Service
Your violation of these Terms
Your violation of any rights of third parties
Content you link to through our Service

11. Copyright Infringement (DMCA)

We respect intellectual property rights and comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you believe a shortened URL links to content that infringes your copyright, please send a DMCA takedown notice to our designated agent with the following information:

A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or authorized agent
Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed
Identification of the shortened URL that links to the allegedly infringing material
Your contact information (address, telephone number, email)
A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner
A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner

11.1 DMCA Designated Agent

Our designated agent for DMCA notices is:

Email: dmca@shorter.sh
Subject Line: DMCA Takedown Notice

Upon receipt of a valid DMCA notice, we will expeditiously remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing content.

12. Reporting Abuse

If you encounter a shortened URL that violates these Terms, please report it immediately through our Abuse Report Form or by email. Include:

The shortened URL
Type of abuse (phishing, malware, scam, etc.)
Description of the violation
Any supporting evidence

We investigate all reports within 24-48 hours and take appropriate action, including URL deletion, user bans, and reporting to law enforcement where applicable.

Abuse Reports: https://shorter.sh/abuse or abuse@shorter.sh

13. Termination

We reserve the right to:

Suspend or terminate your access to the Service immediately for violations of these Terms
Delete URLs that violate these Terms without prior notice
Ban users who repeatedly violate these Terms
Report illegal activity to law enforcement

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately.

14. Third-Party Services

The Service is hosted on Cloudflare Workers infrastructure. Your use is also subject to Cloudflare's terms. We are not responsible for third-party services or the content of websites you access through shortened URLs.

15. Safe Harbor and Intermediary Status

shorter.sh operates as an intermediary service that provides URL shortening functionality. We do not create, control, endorse, or assume responsibility for any content on third-party websites accessible through shortened URLs.

15.1 Communications Decency Act (Section 230)

As an interactive computer service provider under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (47 U.S.C. § 230), shorter.sh is not the publisher or speaker of any information provided by users or third parties. We are not liable for content created, posted, or hosted by third parties that may be accessed through shortened URLs.

15.2 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (Section 512)

shorter.sh qualifies as a service provider under Section 512(d) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512) as an information location tool. We maintain safe harbor protection by:

Having no actual knowledge that linked material is infringing
Not receiving financial benefit directly attributable to infringing activity
Expeditiously removing or disabling access to material upon receiving valid DMCA notices
Designating a DMCA agent to receive notifications

15.3 Third-Party Content Disclaimer

WE MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES REGARDING:

The accuracy, reliability, or completeness of content on destination websites
The safety, security, or legality of destination websites
The availability or uptime of linked content
The conduct, actions, or omissions of third parties
Any products, services, or transactions offered through linked websites

Users access all destination URLs entirely at their own risk. shorter.sh shall not be held responsible for any damages, losses, or harm arising from your use of or reliance on any third-party content.

16. Analytics and Tracking

We collect click analytics including click counts and timestamps. This data is used to provide service features and improve the Service. See our Privacy Policy for details.

17. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction where the service operator is located, without regard to conflict of law principles.

18. Dispute Resolution and Binding Arbitration

18.1 Informal Resolution

Before initiating any formal dispute resolution, you agree to first contact us at legal@shorter.sh and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

18.2 Binding Arbitration

If informal resolution fails, any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved by binding individual arbitration, rather than in court, except that you may assert claims in small claims court if your claims qualify.

18.3 Class Action Waiver

IMPORTANT: YOU AND SHORTER.SH AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION. Unless both you and shorter.sh agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding.

18.4 Arbitration Rules

The arbitration shall be administered by a recognized arbitration institution under its applicable rules. The arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.

18.5 Opt-Out

You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by sending written notice to legal@shorter.sh within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. If you opt out, you may pursue claims in court.

18.6 Exceptions

This arbitration agreement does not preclude you from bringing issues to the attention of government agencies or from seeking injunctive relief in court for intellectual property infringement or unauthorized use of the Service.

19. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

20. Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

21. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Changes will be effective when posted with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.

22. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and shorter.sh regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

23. Age Requirement

You must be at least 13 years old to use this Service. If you are under 18, you represent that you have your parent or guardian's permission to use the Service. If you are under 13, you may not use the Service under any circumstances.

24. International Use

The Service is controlled and operated from our hosting infrastructure. We make no representation that the Service is appropriate or available for use in all locations. Those who access the Service from other locations do so at their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, including data protection and privacy regulations.

25. Contact Information

For questions, concerns, or legal notices, please contact us through the appropriate channel:

General Inquiries: hello@shorter.sh
Abuse Reports: https://shorter.sh/abuse or abuse@shorter.sh
DMCA Notices: dmca@shorter.sh
Legal Inquiries: legal@shorter.sh
Law Enforcement: legal@shorter.sh (include official credentials and legal basis)
Privacy Requests: privacy@shorter.sh

We aim to respond to all inquiries within 5 business days. Legal and abuse reports are prioritized and typically addressed within 24-48 hours.

Important: By using shorter.sh, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy.