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Ask HN: How to stop Google SERP url redirect tracking?
Hi HN,
I used to use http://64.233.183.132/search?query=keyword with javascript disabled to stop Google from tracking my clicks in the search result page, now Google renderes ALL links as a redirect link on server to track my clicks, it's dangerous and may cause me to click phishing sites as there it's not obvious URL in the status bar now.
How do I disable it while using Google anonymousely?
I don't want to use userscript trick. Google kept change its page format all the time so the userscripts fails sooner or later.
DDG is OK for the moment but still lacks content in minor non-English languages, so I still have to use Google.
- dangrossman 15y agoThe basis of your question is untrue. The links on the page are direct links to the sites; what's shown in the status bar is where you'll be taken to when you click. The redirect is added through JavaScript on the onmousedown event. You can disable it by disabling JavaScript.
- est 15y agoSorry but no, this is today's upgrade in Google, I think. Try this in your shell curl --header "User-Agent: " "http://64.233.183.132/search?gbv=1&tbo=1&as_qdr=all&hl=en&num=50&q=keyword" You can see all links are wrapped with `href="/url?q=` Yes, it was used to be wrapped by javascript.
- dangrossman 15y agoWhen I access that exact URL on a real browser, I get normal direct links. <a href="https://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/" class=l onmousedown="return ...
- est 15y agoYes, that's when you allow Javascript in your browser If you don't allow javascript on this domain, the redirect is wrapped on Google server. I will not trust Google Search running Javascript Edit: Turns out Google will do a javascript redirect on the first tracked page, then the second page will display every links without wrapped. If this is not evil, I don't know what is.
- googoobaby 15y agoThe Firefox Google Search link fix add-on seems to do a decent job.