Regardless, URL shorteners cannot be described as beneficial for users (except those who want to track clicks on their links). They make it take longer to get to the page. They are an extra point of failure. They are bad for users. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be done, but it isn't altruistic by any measure.
Regardless, URL shorteners cannot be described as beneficial for users (except those who want to track clicks on their links). They make it take longer to get to the page. They are an extra point of failure. They are bad for users. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be done, but it isn't altruistic by any measure.