Posting links and possibly sharing personal info without realizing it

[Silent3]

Last edited Mon Jun 22, 2020, 03:52 PM - Edit history (1)

I was just looking at someone else's post here on DU - with a link to a great Borowitz Report. The link looked basically like this (I've mangled it a little on purpose):

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/susan-collins-puts-bolton-book-in-amazon-cart-but-remains-undecided-about-placing-order?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Borowitz_099920&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be222272ddf9c72dc6f2afa&cndid=20005454&hasha=e450e5d7ac6499999ff0a62d476541d4&hashb=72674cc0a7777728254ac53aee01b7c589ad3608&hashc=27040888888829c2bfefcb5e4160a5e4637f89910617754ae6a8f4446e232ce&esrc=newsletters-form-sig&utm_term=TNY_Borowitz

But all you need to share this article with everyone else is this:

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/susan-collins-puts-bolton-book-in-amazon-cart-but-remains-undecided-about-placing-order

What's all of the rest of that crap? It's a lot of tracking info, info that lets God-knows-who discover all kinds of stuff, including things like who decided to share this link, and where that person originally found out about the linked article (from Facebook, from Twitter, from a particular friend, etc). While most of this info is in pretty cryptic, some of it is easier to guess at, like that somewhere along the line this link arrived via a newsletter.

None of that tracking info is needed, however, if all you really want to do is share the article and nothing else.

Since I'm a software engineer, fixing this sort of thing comes naturally to me. For others, it might not be so obvious.

A good rule of thumb: Look for the first "?" in the link. Most of the time you can throw away everything starting from that question mark onward.

To make sure this works, paste your full link, copy just the first part of the link up to (but not including) the question mark, then paste the fragment you just copied into another browser tab or window. If that works, and takes you to the article you wanted to share with everyone, it's safe to delete the tracking crap before you post.

Update for Youtube videos:

I was just sharing a link for the Asimov-based Foundation series that's going to be on Apple Plus (which looks like it could be amazing!):

https : // www.youtube .com/watch?v=xgbPSA94Rqg (ignore the spaces, I had to add them so you could see the link).

In this case, you do need something that comes after the first "?". You need the "v=whatever" part too, all the way up to the first ampersand "&" that follows, or else Youtube won't know which particular video to play.

[PJMcK]

1. K & R

Great advice! Thanks.

[dalton99a]

2. Kick

[gristy]

3. thanks for posting

Yes, I also strip off the ? and everything after it. Always.

[flying rabbit]

4. K&R

[msongs]

5. tried copy up to first ? and your suggestion did in fact work. nice to know nt

[Squinch]

6. Thank you! I never knew!

[crickets]

7. Thanks for posting this. K&R

[NoRoadUntravelled]

8. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Good information.

[Cha]

9. Thank you for that reminder!

[Different Drummer]

10. Good to know! K&R!

DD

[mopinko]

11. boy howdy. thank you.

just got off grubhubs site, and i only have 3 web design classes (by the skin of my teeth), and 35 years of computer use, but jesus i want to scrape my eyes out.
these people dont know what a hover is. or a swipe.

i have a tenant that works for them, and i have fished for a paycheck. i have been having a very good time testing their platform since the plague hit. i have actual post bachelors certificates plus in this shit. from the school of the art institute of chicago. aka the art school of the ivy league.
they need to pay me $10 k for my info. times 2.

i just cant believe the stupid that pulls down the big stacks.
i just cant.

[stillcool]

12. Bookmarked for safe keeping...thank you!

[malaise]

13. Thanks

This is an important post
Rec

[CaptainTruth]

14. I was just thinking this exact thought, as I deleted 75% of that link...

...so I could share the Borowitz link on Twitter without sharing all the garbage you pointed out.

I see that a lot on here, folks post links with all kinds of tracking info appended.

As you say, I find the "?" & delete it & everything after it so you just have a clean link.

[Generic Brad]

15. Thank you for your service

This is the best advice I have received this entire week.

[TheRickles]

17. Ditto! n/t

[iluvtennis]

16. Great info - thanks for posting this. nt

[Joinfortmill]

18. Thank you

[Nitram]

19. Thanks for the tip.

[Sogo]

20. Thank you for posting this.

It is so annoying to have those giant links.

A related question: I use yahoo email, and if I'm signed in to it, and then share a yahoo link, when others click on that link, I'm pretty sure they can see my first name on a tab at the top and access my email account by clicking on another button next to my name. At least, when I've shared a yahoo link and go back and click on it, that's what I see; I'm assuming anyone else can see my name and access my email account, too. Any suggestions how to work around that? I'm paranoid to share a yahoo link in case I'm still signed in to my email account, and even if I'm not signed in right then, I wonder if it will function in this way on that link when I do later sign in....

[Silent3]

36. I don't know enough about Yahoo email specifically to be sure...

...but it seems likely there's something in their that points back to you personally.

What you want for passing around is a link that generally starts with https:// (or sometimes, much less often these days, just http://), the actual website you're linking to (not something that starts with yahoo.com or google.com or whatever) and a pretty minimal amount of info that looks like it's all you should need to point to a particular story.

[soldierant]

38. I am the only person who ises my computer,

so I prefer to stay signed in on yahoo, but periodically it kicks me out and makes me re-sign0in anyway. Sometimes I can get around that by opening a new tab and using my shortcut. I think my computer's address IP address is part of this equation, and I suspect that's what is happening with you. I'd be very surprised if someone else can access your account. that way from a different IP address (and not in yur network, assuming you have one - I don't/) Do you have a friend or family mmemer you trust enough to try that and let you know?

Google - that's different - I can't even get in in order to cancel my account, because they want to text me a code, and I don't text. I really don't think anyone is getting in there. But I'm not perfect or omniscient, so I certainly could be wrong.

[zentrum]

21. Thank You!!!

[Midnight Writer]

22. Thank you. I did not know that, and I will make use of it in the future.

[littlemissmartypants]

23. Bookmark. Safe cut and paste. nt

[melman]

24. Yeah you can't be too careful

Just earlier today I had someone try to fish personal info out of me.


"how 'bout telling us something about yourself,'' they said. Creepy.

[George II]

26. What's "creepy" about that since you delved into fishing into the personal information....

......about that person by digging into that person's posting history?

As they say, "turnabout's fair play". C'mon, you're not fooling anyone.

[melman]

29. Nonsense

Nothing a person posts here is private. It can't be. They chose to post it publicly.

Specific requests for personal info are very different and very creepy.

[George II]

31. Nonsense. If you're referring to an earlier post, no one asked for "personal info".

Now I have to go watch my favorite scenes from "Madagascar".

[melman]

33. They did

They said "how 'bout telling us something about yourself". I found it quite creepy and threatening.


btw, this same individual constantly posts about where they (allegedly) grew up and other tedious details.


No digging required to see any of that.

[George II]

34. Hmmm, interesting. Where did that "individual" "allegedly" grow up?

[melman]

35. Back so soon?

I guess there aren't too many good scenes in that movie.

[melman]

57. That's an interesting question

Astute observers will notice it changes depending on the purpose of said individual's post. If the purpose is to trash a Democratic congresswoman it's one borough, and if the goal is to come off like some kind of tough guy it's another.

[George II]

59. Are you calling"said individual" a liar?

[melman]

60. That's an interesting question

I'm sure many have wondered if this individual is even knows what the truth is.

[George II]

61. Why don't you ask said individual?

[melman]

62. Ask them what?

[George II]

63. I feel like I'm in Central Park again:

[melman]

64. You don't have to worry about Central Park anymore

Bernie lost.



But seriously. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to ask or what the point would be.


1. I couldn't possibly give less of a shit about where this individual may or may not be from.

2. This individual's issues with honesty go way beyond that one question. Observers will wonder if they're even capable.

[George II]

65. What does Bernie Sanders have to do with Central Park?

[MsLeopard]

25. Thank you for that wisdom

Very good information to know.

[Mrs. Overall]

27. Wow! Very helpful information.

I've always wondered what the extra material after the link was.

[Hoyt]

28. Thanks. Since I've been threatened to be thrown in a wood chipper here,

that is good to know.

[GeoWilliam750]

30. Thank you

[PufPuf23]

32. Meaningful tech info, easy to understand, and practical

Thank you.

[soldierant]

37. This is exactly what I do,

and I was vaguely aware that the rest of the link was tracking info. But I haven't been as conscientious as I should be in advising friends that the rest of the crap is (usually) tracking info and shouldn't be shared. I'm very careful in emails about using BCC, and I should be passing this info on also. I'll do better. Thanks.

[SkyDaddy7]

39. Thanks!!!

I've always wondered why that happens!

[mopinko]

40. aaand

i have been wondering why i cant seem to post twitter stuff on fb. didnt care enough to trouble my beautiful mind.
but i just c/p a link to that frank oz/ mark hamill tweet, after following it from here.
popped it in messenger and hit send. there at the end of the string? du.

so, yeah, thank you again.

[lagomorph777]

42. Falsebook and Twit are Putin's platforms. Talk about creepy - way too dangerous for me.

[mopinko]

46. well, i aint skeered o nuthin, so....

even when i should be.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

41. Yup I've been posting about this from time to time, never thought to make an OP.

All the big players are interlinked with agreements to share data. So if you post UNTRIMMED links, then they know who shares political beliefs with who else.

[Tommymac]

43. Kick that tracking shit to the curb.

Thanks! Great advice.

[raccoon]

44. Thanks for the heads up! Nt

[cp]

45. Thank you.

[Mad Lib]

47. Great info

This is really helpful. Thanks.

[dumbcat]

48. Thanks! I didn't know that.

I learn good stuff here!

[CatLady78]

49. Thanks for the info.nt

[marble falls]

50. Good to know. I always wondered why some links went on and on.

[pandr32]

51. Thank you!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

52. k&r -- tired of all those ?fbclidcrap links

[Hekate]

53. Kick. Rec. Bookmark. Thanks!

[samsingh]

54. good advice - thanks for pointing this out

[live love laugh]

55. Thanks especially because so many links have "..." abbreviating them and I'd never looked at that.nt

[bobnicewander]

56. Thank you for

being helpful to many without your skills.

[burrowowl]

58. Thanks for info

[question everything]

66. Agree. Especially if the link is from an email or a result of a search

I often post from the WSJ and it often has those additions. I delete everything after the html.

Same with WaPo opinions that I get in daily emails.

[Silent3]

67. Youtube video links

I was just sharing a link for the Asimov-based Foundation series that's going to be on Apple Plus (which looks like it could be amazing!):

https : // www.youtube .com/watch?v=xgbPSA94Rqg (ignore the spaces, I had to add them so you could see the link).

In this case, you do need something that comes after the first "?". You need the "v=whatever" part too, all the way up to the first ampersand "&" that follows, or else Youtube won't know which particular video to play.