Guide · Trust and privacy
How to report a harmful short link
A harmful link reported quickly harms fewer people. This guide explains what to report, how to do it and what happens next.
What to report
Report a link that leads somewhere harmful: a page imitating a bank or a login, a scam, a malware download, spam or illegal content. Phishing and malware are the two families Google Safe Browsing describes as unsafe web resources. Do not report a link merely because you dislike its destination.
The reasons offered are phishing, scam, malware, spam, adult content, illegal content and other.
How to report it
- Open the short link. On a free link, the preview page shows the destination, and the report control sits on it.
- Choose the reason that fits best and add a short note if something is not obvious, such as what the page asked for.
- Send the report once. A rate limit stops a single visitor flooding the form.
Do not type anything into the destination page to prove it is harmful. Reading the preview is enough.
What happens next
Every report is reviewed. A reported link stops working while the review runs, and a link found to be harmful stays blocked.
The destination site is a separate matter: if the page is still live, its host can be told as well, which helps beyond this service.
Questions
Which links should be reported?
Links that lead to phishing, scams, malware, spam, adult or illegal content, or anything else harmful. Not links whose destination is merely disliked.
Does a reported link keep working?
No. A reported link stops working while the review runs.
Should I test the destination page first?
No. Reading the preview page is enough; do not enter anything into the destination.
Sources
The documents this guide's statements rest on. Each link opens in a new page.