Stuart Celarier ❌👑Dec 16, 2024

Pro tip: 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.

Show threadGeorge DinwiddieDec 17, 2024
@VisualStuart Or you can put random garbage in the tracker_ID just to mess with them.
Show threadMarkus G 🇪🇺Dec 17, 2024

@gdinwiddie @VisualStuart I replace the tracking ID like this:

?si=pooh

It is a bit annoying that many apps fetch the social cards from the respective site when I share a link before I get to edit it. I know, I could disable the fetching (e.g. Signal supports this), but I like the cards. A delay would help.

Show threadStuart Celarier ❌👑Dec 17, 2024
@Elephant @gdinwiddie A suggestion would be to edit the link in a Notepad or some similar text app first, and then paste that into another app.
Show threadMarkus G 🇪🇺
@VisualStuart @gdinwiddie Yes. That‘s a sensible approach albeit a bit cumbersome, especially on a mobile device.
Dec 18, 2024 at 4:13amWeb