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Vexz to Privacy@lemmy.ml • 2 years ago

YouTube adds tracking parameters to shared URLs that can be traced back to individual Google accounts

nitter.net

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YouTube adds tracking parameters to shared URLs that can be traced back to individual Google accounts

nitter.net

Vexz to Privacy@lemmy.ml • 2 years ago
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  • @jaybone@lemmy.world
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    77•2 years ago

    Do people use the share button rather than just copy the URL from the address bar? Am I just really old?

    • @Touching_Grass@lemmy.world
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      50•2 years ago

      Am I just really old?

      Sounds like you have cleaned a few trackballs in your days

      • @jaybone@lemmy.world
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        26•2 years ago

        Now I just try to keep my regular balls clean.

        • TigrisMorte
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          12•2 years ago

          Pics or didn’t happen.

          • @Touching_Grass@lemmy.world
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            6•
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            2 years ago

            LemonpartyDOTcom

          • @lemming741@lemmy.world
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            2•2 years ago

            Leave that shit on Reddit

        • @GBU_28@lemm.ee
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          7•2 years ago

          Keep up the good fight, buddy

        • @Klear@lemmy.world
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          1•2 years ago

          Good. You don’t want these tracked.

    • @RovingFox@infosec.pub
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      32•2 years ago

      Many people use a phone and many people have youtube app on it.

    • @octoperson@sh.itjust.works
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      13•2 years ago

      If you use youtube on a mobile app rather than a browser, it doesn’t have an address bar

      • TigrisMorte
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        21•2 years ago

        Never use an app for what should be a web page.

        • Star
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          14•
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          2 years ago

          removed by mod

          • Nik282000
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            7•2 years ago

            Apps are legitimately great.

            Except they are mostly just lobotomized websites where you can’t copy the text or save media to your local device.

          • @OminousOrange@lemmy.ca
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            4•2 years ago

            But it’s blockable on websites. Firefox with ublock makes YouTube, Facebook, and instragam a relatively pleasant experience again.

            • @serratur@lemmy.wtf
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              1•2 years ago

              There is other apps like newpipe or grayjay, i havent experienced any ads using them

              • TigrisMorte
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                2•2 years ago

                And I know folks that have never lost money on crypto. Doesn’t make crypto less of a risk.

          • TigrisMorte
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            3•2 years ago

            websites are sandboxed while apps have almost full access. So, no, they don’t.

            • Star
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              1•
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              2 years ago

              removed by mod

              • TigrisMorte
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                2•2 years ago

                https://www.techopedia.com/definition/25266/sandboxing

          • @flames5123@lemmy.world
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            1•2 years ago

            Exactly. A website has to download ALL the HTML every time. Sure, it can put all that in a JavaScript file and cache it but it has to be built each time. With an app, you (the devs) get to choose what to load, and it’s just usually a few simple things each time instead of constantly running a script.

            Using Lemmy as a web app really sucked. Having an actual app with actual integration to a robust UI works.

            • TigrisMorte
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              3•2 years ago

              Plus as an app developer you get to go through the user’s contacts and files. Having an actual app locks you and allows you to be the product the app owners sell. Nothing else and certainly nothing of value for 99% of the apps out there.

              • @flames5123@lemmy.world
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                1•2 years ago

                Apple does not allow this out of the box. You have to confirm for every permission. There is not automatic access to files.

                • TigrisMorte
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                  1•2 years ago

                  And yet you said yes when asked.

                  • @flames5123@lemmy.world
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                    1•2 years ago

                    Huh? I don’t give apps like YouTube access to my files. I don’t upload so they don’t need it. I don’t even think it has asked because I’m not clicking the upload button. YouTube doesn’t get access to my location either. It does have access to local connections because of YouTube on my TV, but that’s it.

    • @SandroHc@lemmy.world
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      7•2 years ago

      An added benefit of the share button is that it generates a minified link – “https://youtu.be/abcde” instead of “https://youtube.com/watch?v=abcde”. I find it neater.

      • @PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks
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        8•2 years ago

        Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

        https://piped.video/abcde

        https://piped.video/watch?v=abcde

        Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

        I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.

        • @lil@lemy.lol
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          1•2 years ago

          First link is 404, second link is not 404

      • @quo@feddit.uk
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        4•2 years ago

        deleted by creator

        • @variants@possumpat.io
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          5•2 years ago

          I always assume shortened links are viruses, at least that’s what got ingrained in me from the yearly security IT lectures

        • @flames5123@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          That is 100% wrong. Did you read the tweets or even look at a single YouTube URL?

          youtube.com/watch?v=FOO&si=BAR would be shortened to just youtu.be/FOO?si=BAR

          The link to other people’s account is in the &si=BAR part. Probably standing for “share ID” or “source ID”or something. The shortened link is just the same as the long one with watch?v=FOO being included in the URL instead of the parameters.

          • @quo@feddit.uk
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            1•2 years ago

            deleted by creator

    • @CrayonRosary@lemmy.world
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      4•2 years ago

      I don’t have a choice when using the app, though I have been removing the tracker from the URL.

    • Gogo Sempai
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      3•2 years ago

      deleted by creator

    • @givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      3•2 years ago

      Share is easier to do it at a specific time in the video.

      Like, you can manually add the “t=x” at the end for seconds, but it’s just easier to click the box to make the share button add it.

      • TigrisMorte
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        1•2 years ago

        Or you could just tell the person what to FF to.

      • cry
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        1•2 years ago

        Right click on the video, there is an option to copy the video url at the time you want. As far as i can see it does not contain the account info.

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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

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