Thwart website trackers

[Handy Don 14,538]

Just a friendly FYI.

In a URL, everything beginning with the “?” and continuing to the end of the string is stuff tacked on to identify and track you.

 

Consider this link:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/111797583847?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=111797583847&targetid=2299003535955&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9021715&poi=&campaignid=22879976798&mkgroupid=192130607908&rlsatarget=pla-2299003535955&abcId=10409101&merchantid=6426064&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22879976798&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh9NFg13l6AFfBE-TvfpLXMgL&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrcqAqavvjwMVsXN_AB11CAPUEAQYBSABEgKAUPD_BwE

 

Only this https://www.ebay.com/itm/111797583847 is needed to get directly to the page on eBay. The rest is to let eBay track a BUNCH of information about the original search itself, as well as the result. Once someone uses the complete link, eBay can, in its database, link the original “searcher” to the new person clicking. “Aha! Bill is connected to Charlie! That may give me more insight into both of them and it may make it valuable to sell to a data broker the knowledge that the two have a relationship."

 

I make it a practice to:

- right click on the questionable links and choose “Copy Link"

- open a new browser window and paste the copied link into the search box - DO NOT HIT RETURN

- drag select all the tracking stuff in the link and delete it

- hit Return to have the browser go to the edited link

 

Another way to thwart tracking is to select some text from the desired webpage that clearly identifies it and paste that into the post. This lets others select that text, right click (or long press on a phone) and choose “search with ...” (... being the search engine their device uses)

 

Note: I originally put the gist of this post in a different thread and @WHX?? rightly suggested it should be the start of its own. Done 😄

Edited September 24 by Handy Don

[Horsin'round 320]

21 hours ago, Handy Don said:

eBay track a BUNCH of information

 

It always makes me " squirrely" , how much information we give away,  either intentionally or otherwise.  This always kept me away from social media. I will definitely use this tip!