PSA: How to remove tracking info from links you share

[sonia]

In most article and blog post links these days, everything after the '?' is tracking info that's not needed to reach the web page. If you have an extra minute when you share links, it's great to crop off the '?' and everything after it to avoid sending any extra tracking info to Facebook, etc. It helps to test your edited link just in case you removed something that's required.

For example: fbclid is the Facebook tracking id. Any link you click on Facebook will have this added onto it. This link works just as well ending in .pdf .

https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/DHSForms/Served/le2342F.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0Z7Q1NZX1psnme_OHpActjW4O684ooeCSktBNeJwZntWbcj5KasReymcA

The clipped version: https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/DHSForms/Served/le2342F.pdf

And this one says it's via the bylinefacebookbutton. Again you can cut everything starting with the '?'.

https://theconversation.com/masks-help-stop-the-spread-of-coronavirus-the-science-is-simple-and-im-one-of-100-experts-urging-governors-to-require-public-mask-wearing-138507?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=bylinefacebookbutton&fbclid=IwAR26rYQeU4nqPgx7p4OV4Jdgt-QvIdMDPNHA8W34_zaERlghYe4zPPrp79s

The clipped version: https://theconversation.com/masks-help-stop-the-spread-of-coronavirus-the-science-is-simple-and-im-one-of-100-experts-urging-governors-to-require-public-mask-wearing-138507

For youtube, you need to keep ?v=blahblah (the code for the video you want), but you can almost always remove everything starting with '&' after that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDqwacSe7O0&feature=youtu.be

The clipped version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDqwacSe7O0

After a while, you'll start to recognize the tracking keywords, like 'utm_source', etc., and strip them off with confidence!

ETA: more info in comments

Comments

[sonia]

Good point, thanks!