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I've noticed that almost all links in emails I receive in Gmail for Android, redirect through a Google link first. I just checked and though click-and-hold sho
by alias_neo 4y ago
I've noticed that almost all links in emails I receive in Gmail for Android, redirect through a Google link first.
I just checked and though click-and-hold shows the real link, if I tap to open, it actually opens "https://www.google.com/url?q=<original https://www.google.com/url?q=<original link>" in my browser.
EDIT: This happens for both Workspace and normal "free" accounts.
- thisiscorrect 4y agoIs that redirect to avoid sending a referer header to server though? In other words, doesn't it actually prevent tracking?
- dingleberry420 4y agoNative apps don't produce referer headers when opening a link in a browser.
- JohnFen 4y agoBut that wouldn't prevent tracking anyway. It would just mean all the tracking is done by Google.
- thisiscorrect 4y agoBut that could be done by other, less obvious means, if desired. Does this redirect add any new tracking abilities?
- alias_neo 4y agoYeah, it only prevents taking for non Google and gives them all of the tracking instead.
- h4waii 4y agoThis is a huge annoyance. If you long press and select "Open in browser", this redirect doesn't seem to happen. I'd love for a Firefox Android extension to remove this, alas it doesn't seem to have been 'blessed by Mozilla' to be available on mobile. This shouldn't even be necessary. I get that Google already has the link cause it's in Gmail.
- alias_neo 4y agoThey do, but there's a different level of importance in tracking for just any link and a link you click.