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TrackerZapper Mac app silently removes tracking parameters from links you copy

github.com

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Re: TrackerZapper Mac app silently removes tracking parameters from links you copy

#11

Post by Dr_Rengers »

thewebcount wrote: post #7

Can anyone explain how it works? Do I have to paste the link into the app and it opens Safari for me? A single screenshot of the app in action in their ReadMe could clear this up. I don’t understand why so many GitHub projects have this problem.

It seems to observe the OS pasteboard. Every time you copy a string, it reads the value, removes tracking parameters, and then puts the clean string back into your pasteboard.

So no action required on the user side, it’s all automatic.

Re: TrackerZapper Mac app silently removes tracking parameters from links you copy

#13

Post by jaytaylor »

C-x_C-f wrote: post #2

The ClearURLs addon [1] also gives you the in-browser option to copy "clean link location," as they call it. [1] https://github.com/ClearURLs/Addon

I tried this recently and promptly uninstalled after discovering Google search result links were still hijacked to go through a tracker redirect.

Re: TrackerZapper Mac app silently removes tracking parameters from links you copy

#14

Post by chromaniac »

sneak wrote: post #4

Shame that this couldn't exist on iOS, where I do the majority of copying and pasting of links. Thanks, Apple.

Chrome Android copies canonical URL from the share menu. On desktop browser, I use a browser extension (CanonicalCopy) that makes available canonical link. It usually works fine on most websites. A lot of websites don't have canonical meta tag. Others have it misconfigured.

Re: TrackerZapper Mac app silently removes tracking parameters from links you copy

#15

Post by dylan604 »

edoceo wrote: post #12
zinclozenge wrote: post #8

What if I want an app that loudly removes tracking parameters?

Submit a PR with more cowbell.

That would be funny that a few clanks of cowbell sound randomly when the Cmd-C buttons are pressed.

Re: TrackerZapper Mac app silently removes tracking parameters from links you copy

#16

Post by gnicholas »

sneak wrote: post #4

Shame that this couldn't exist on iOS, where I do the majority of copying and pasting of links. Thanks, Apple.

Now that Apple allows Safari extensions (with iOS 15), I wonder if it would be possible to create the functionality.

But honestly most times I copy a link, I’m going to open it in Firefox Focus. Maybe they or Brave could add the feature?

Re: TrackerZapper Mac app silently removes tracking parameters from links you copy

#19

Post by rexf »

sneak wrote: post #4

Shame that this couldn't exist on iOS, where I do the majority of copying and pasting of links. Thanks, Apple.

I built a similar Mac app that removes common trackers from clipboard links. It works on your iPhone with Apple's Universal Clipboard.

Copy Cleaner macOS app https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1528299767

Re: TrackerZapper Mac app silently removes tracking parameters from links you copy

#20

Post by rexf »

cortesoft wrote: post #18

I assume this only works on well known tracker formats? I don’t see how a tool like this could distinguish necessary url parameters from tracking parameters unless it is going off a list of known tracking params.

They are hardcoded here https://github.com/rknightuk/TrackerZapper/blob/main/Tracker...
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