[Repost] Clean YouTube links.
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[Repost] Clean YouTube links. When you get a link from YT, it includes an ID tracking back to YOU. It's a "query string" on the end of the URL like this:
...?si=[tracker_ID_here]This ID allows YouTube (and their owner, Google, and *their* owner, Alphabet, and ALL of their associates) to track the people who click on the link, and the apps they used, back to you, building a network of none-of-their-business.
Good news: DELETE the "?si=..." part & the link works just fine without the tracking.
@VisualStuart delete it before pasting to whatsapp or similar, as those are going to immediately take the link and creating a thumbnail/preview. And so youtube will know and can track. Sometimes, even after editing, the thumbnail retains the tracking ID and all your friends will be tracked as well.
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[Repost] Clean YouTube links. When you get a link from YT, it includes an ID tracking back to YOU. It's a "query string" on the end of the URL like this:
...?si=[tracker_ID_here]This ID allows YouTube (and their owner, Google, and *their* owner, Alphabet, and ALL of their associates) to track the people who click on the link, and the apps they used, back to you, building a network of none-of-their-business.
Good news: DELETE the "?si=..." part & the link works just fine without the tracking.
@VisualStuart better still - change a few characters in the bit after the si and mess with their algorithm. Also works.
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[Repost] Clean YouTube links. When you get a link from YT, it includes an ID tracking back to YOU. It's a "query string" on the end of the URL like this:
...?si=[tracker_ID_here]This ID allows YouTube (and their owner, Google, and *their* owner, Alphabet, and ALL of their associates) to track the people who click on the link, and the apps they used, back to you, building a network of none-of-their-business.
Good news: DELETE the "?si=..." part & the link works just fine without the tracking.
@VisualStuart Good point. I just copy the URL from the browser bar though.
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[Repost] Clean YouTube links. When you get a link from YT, it includes an ID tracking back to YOU. It's a "query string" on the end of the URL like this:
...?si=[tracker_ID_here]This ID allows YouTube (and their owner, Google, and *their* owner, Alphabet, and ALL of their associates) to track the people who click on the link, and the apps they used, back to you, building a network of none-of-their-business.
Good news: DELETE the "?si=..." part & the link works just fine without the tracking.
@VisualStuart I just add "fuckyoutoo" or "suckmeballs" to it. Works every time.
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@VisualStuart better still - change a few characters in the bit after the si and mess with their algorithm. Also works.
@nomenloony Yup, insert profanity!
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@lach @VisualStuart I use profanities and sexual references.
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[Repost] Clean YouTube links. When you get a link from YT, it includes an ID tracking back to YOU. It's a "query string" on the end of the URL like this:
...?si=[tracker_ID_here]This ID allows YouTube (and their owner, Google, and *their* owner, Alphabet, and ALL of their associates) to track the people who click on the link, and the apps they used, back to you, building a network of none-of-their-business.
Good news: DELETE the "?si=..." part & the link works just fine without the tracking.
@VisualStuart As alternative to specific URL addons:
You can add this filter to your uBlock Origin filters to remove it for Youtube only:
youtube.com##+js(trusted-replace-fetch-response, /[\?&]si\=[\w-]+/g, , youtube.com/youtubei/v1/share/get_share_panel)
Important: You need to enable "Allow custom filters requiring trust."
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[Repost] Clean YouTube links. When you get a link from YT, it includes an ID tracking back to YOU. It's a "query string" on the end of the URL like this:
...?si=[tracker_ID_here]This ID allows YouTube (and their owner, Google, and *their* owner, Alphabet, and ALL of their associates) to track the people who click on the link, and the apps they used, back to you, building a network of none-of-their-business.
Good news: DELETE the "?si=..." part & the link works just fine without the tracking.
@VisualStuart Yes!
All you need to share the video is the video id like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61I4hlig78w
See that "?v=61I4hlig78w" in that link? That is all you need to share the video, every ? after that is a tracker.
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[Repost] Clean YouTube links. When you get a link from YT, it includes an ID tracking back to YOU. It's a "query string" on the end of the URL like this:
...?si=[tracker_ID_here]This ID allows YouTube (and their owner, Google, and *their* owner, Alphabet, and ALL of their associates) to track the people who click on the link, and the apps they used, back to you, building a network of none-of-their-business.
Good news: DELETE the "?si=..." part & the link works just fine without the tracking.
@VisualStuart alternative front ends for YT also used to exist that made it so you (and anyone you shared content with) could view things from YT not actually on YT. One was Invidious, and it used to work well but I'm uncertain about if YT has killed those projects, as I haven't used it in maybe a year or so. Would be safer than ever using YT on any personal device, though, so might be worth looking into if anyone on this thread cares to
*edit: typo
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@VisualStuart better still - change a few characters in the bit after the si and mess with their algorithm. Also works.
@nomenloony That might make you feel good but odds are that it doesn't really "mess" with their algorithm: they try to look up the si ID for the resource and there's no match, end of story.
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@Lorraine Not quite. Delete the ? and everything to the right of it. Enjoy!
@Lorraine @VisualStuart or make up a random one to stub in
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@VisualStuart For iOS friends, I've written a shortcut that will remove the surveillance from the URL in the clipboard. I have an icon right next to the YouTube app for this. It makes sharing links on my phone so much easier.
Edit: make sure the replace function is set to regex mode.
@theorangetheme @VisualStuart This is great! Didn't know about the regex check box either.
It looks like some videos don't add tracking while others do. Wonder who decides - or if the amount of traffic on a video does that.
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@theorangetheme @VisualStuart This is great! Didn't know about the regex check box either.
It looks like some videos don't add tracking while others do. Wonder who decides - or if the amount of traffic on a video does that.
@dxzdb @VisualStuart Thank you!
Huh, that's interesting. I used to remove the tracking manually, and I don't think I encountered a video that didn't have it. Do you have an example video? I'm curious.
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@dxzdb @VisualStuart Thank you!
Huh, that's interesting. I used to remove the tracking manually, and I don't think I encountered a video that didn't have it. Do you have an example video? I'm curious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5roTbLx0kY This already outdated one about youtube privacy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2muuD83L13w&pp=ygUUbWF0dHNvZmZyb2FkcmVjb3Zlcnk%3D This addicting off road recovery channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_5MJv-Jjy0 A James Bond behind the scene spoiler
I seem to have to work to actually get the tracking right now.
Is there any difference between macOS and iOS/iPadOS?
Also I use the StopTheMadness app - maybe that’s helping me?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5roTbLx0kY This already outdated one about youtube privacy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2muuD83L13w&pp=ygUUbWF0dHNvZmZyb2FkcmVjb3Zlcnk%3D This addicting off road recovery channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_5MJv-Jjy0 A James Bond behind the scene spoiler
I seem to have to work to actually get the tracking right now.
Is there any difference between macOS and iOS/iPadOS?
Also I use the StopTheMadness app - maybe that’s helping me?
@theorangetheme @dxzdb While viewing a YouTube video in the app or website, click the Share button and copy the link to the clipboard. When you paste the link into a Mastodon post / email to your congress person / rant to your grandma be sure to delete the 'si' query string parameter. Peace.
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@theorangetheme @dxzdb While viewing a YouTube video in the app or website, click the Share button and copy the link to the clipboard. When you paste the link into a Mastodon post / email to your congress person / rant to your grandma be sure to delete the 'si' query string parameter. Peace.
@VisualStuart @theorangetheme yeah - I will now that I know to look for that.
But the “si” tracking thing isn’t always there and I’m wondering what controls that.
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@VisualStuart @theorangetheme yeah - I will now that I know to look for that.
But the “si” tracking thing isn’t always there and I’m wondering what controls that.
@theorangetheme @dxzdb No idea. I think it is always there for me when I use the Share button.
There are two kinds of people: those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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R relay@relay.mycrowd.ca shared this topic
