Wired has an article today about more deep linking battles. I find this topic completely perplexing. First of all, the web was designed from the start to deep link. This is not an abuse of the system, it is the fundamental nature of the system. If you don't like it, build your own system. Secondly, it seems that some companies want the government to control deep linking. Why get the government involved in something that is easily solved with technology?
It is not hard to keep people from deep linking to stories on your site. There are a number of technical strategies that can eliminate deep linking. One simple solution is to set a cookie on the user's browser that grants them access to sub pages, but only after they have visited the front page. Another solution is set a session ID in the URL that expires after a fixed amount of time. These are two solutions off the top of my head, and there are certainly other, more sophisticated solutions.
So, why bring the government in to muck things up when a technical solution is easily accessible to even the most entry level web developer? Stop complaining, Dallas Morning New, and just solve the problem.
10:56:00 AM 
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