cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/31187638

Earlier today I came across a Reddit comment with a link to an Instagram post. The link had ?igsh= at the end.

When I clicked on the link, I got this popup. It had a name and profile photo that was different from that of the post being shared.

Join Firstname Lastname on Instagram

See photos, videos, and more from Firstname Lastname.

[ Open Instagram ]

not now

I avoid link trackers. However, I did not realize it was this bad.

To my knowledge, TikTok does the same thing and lists the name of the person that shared the link. Assuming this increases engagement, any website could enable such a feature, even on old links that you shared in the past.

You should manually remove any trackers before sharing, or use an app for it.

  • @GeneralInterestEnglish
    11•4 hours ago

    Good PSA. Personally I’m not that worried because

    1. I don’t use Instagram
    2. Firefox has an option to copy links without site tracking, which hopefully would work on Instagram links
    3. I try to only write stuff online that wouldn’t be massively embarrassing if anyone does happen to figure out who I am
    • AlexanderESmith
      1•52 minutes ago

      Wait, you conduct yourself in a manner consistent with a reputation you’d like to maintain? Even when you don’t think anyone will find out who you are?

      What kind of responsible shit is that? Don’t you know you’re on the Internet?

      • @GeneralInterestEnglish
        1•39 minutes ago

        Even when you don’t think anyone will find out who you are?

        I guess I do think there’s a non-zero chance that somebody might find out. With advances in LLMs perhaps it will be possible to create a model that can recognise your internet posts by your writing style and/or certain facts or anecdotes you’ve mentioned more than once.