Eventually I think sites will customize every URL for each user.
TikTok is quite sneaky. Sharing from their mobile app, you get:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/[9digitCode]/
Only by opening the URL in a browser will you see:
https://www.tiktok.com/@[user]/video/[19numerals]?_t=[alphanumericIdentifier]&_r=1
…which can be sanitized.
Here’s how they took it a step further too: YCombinator.
Same with Reddit, FB Messenger, Instagram, TikTok… Some of them are harder to spot, like how Reddit now goes reddit.com/r/example/s/8913y4h93
Would be nice if social networks and messengers would automatically strip these parameters.
I started using URLCheck on Android and SO MANY links have some kind of tracker that you can drop and not lose any functionality. Things like Signal (and even Lemmy/Mastodon) could do something similar and throw up a little warning when it encounters a known tracker, then offer to clean the URL for you.
Another advantage is that the clean URLs are a lot more descriptive
I’m using FairEmail on Android. When tapping a link, thr app detects tracking parameters and offers to remove them. I really like that feature and wish other apps would offer something similar.
I believe Spotify is doing something similar.
Would be nice if social networks and messengers would automatically strip these parameters.
Removed by mod
Eventually I think sites will customize every URL for each user.
TikTok is quite sneaky. Sharing from their mobile app, you get:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/[9digitCode]/Only by opening the URL in a browser will you see:
https://www.tiktok.com/@[user]/video/[19numerals]?_t=[alphanumericIdentifier]&_r=1…which can be sanitized.Here’s how they took it a step further too: YCombinator.
Same with Reddit, FB Messenger, Instagram, TikTok… Some of them are harder to spot, like how Reddit now goes
reddit.com/r/example/s/8913y4h93I started using URLCheck on Android and SO MANY links have some kind of tracker that you can drop and not lose any functionality. Things like Signal (and even Lemmy/Mastodon) could do something similar and throw up a little warning when it encounters a known tracker, then offer to clean the URL for you.
Another advantage is that the clean URLs are a lot more descriptive
For example, see the link in the post body here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/18dsi68/whats_going_on_with_kim_kardashian_and_taylor/
Why are you linking to reddit…
I was linking to a page where someone unknowingly used a link with a tracker, as an example of what I was talking about
Here’s a screenshot if that’s better
I’m using FairEmail on Android. When tapping a link, thr app detects tracking parameters and offers to remove them. I really like that feature and wish other apps would offer something similar.
Oh that’s nice! Hopefully more apps integrate that function
adding this list to uBlock Origin helps: https://github.com/DandelionSprout/adfilt/blob/master/LegitimateURLShortener.txt
best filter maintainer ever
This list is a must.