Back in 2022, I wrote this rather grumpy post on Mastodon, the federated social media platform. @Edent@mastodon.socialTerence EdenMastodon enforces a "noreferrer" on all external links.I have mixed feelings about that.As a blogger, I want to see *where* visitors are coming from. I also like to see (and sometimes join in) with the conversations they're having.But, I get that people want privacy and don't want to "leak" where they're visiting from.Is it such a bad thing to tell a website "I was…
    • sbv@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      42·
      8 days ago

      FWIW they should be configurable in your browser, either directly or with a plug-in.

      The post makes a pretty reasonable argument as to why it’s a good idea.

      • solrize@lemmy.worldEnglish
        182·
        8 days ago

        Yeah, browser vendors think the same thing, since they are part of the commercial web. Anyway, at minimum, sending referer should be opt-in rather than opt-out.

        • cabbage@piefed.socialEnglish
          3·
          7 days ago

          According to ths post it will be opt-in, on the instance side.

          So smaller instances where there-might be risks associated will be opted out by default, while large instances that might want the attention and where individual users stand out less can opt in.

      • solrize@lemmy.worldEnglish
        54·
        8 days ago

        Unfortunatly its a cost we must accept since the justification makes it worth it.

        That’s for the user to decide. The devs should not presume to make it on the users’ behalf.

            • barsoap@lemm.eeEnglish
              4·
              8 days ago

              Users can disable referer headers in their browser settings which overrides anything the instance operators can do.

              • solrize@lemmy.worldEnglish
                52·
                8 days ago

                Only nerds do stuff like mess with their browser settings through about:config. The bulk of activity is from people who don’t mess with those settings and don’t stay aware of what’s going on. Those are the ones who the info gatherers want to observe, so that’s why the system should be opt-in in every case, and it’s also why they want it to be the opposite.

                • barsoap@lemm.eeEnglish
                  21·
                  8 days ago

                  There’s legitimate interest in knowing where people come from, though, and asking on your own page “how did you get here?” is hardly going to work. Personally I don’t think it’s much of an issue if some random commercial site sees that I got there via lemm.ee, it’s not giving away much at all, not even whether I have an account here and certainly not as much as tracking cookies. OTOH I also think it could be done better, wich tech similar to Mozilla’s aggregate (i.e. you’re just a number in an anonymous mass) ad clickthrough thing. Sites would see “yep we got a number of visitors from lemm.ee, and that number from lemmy.world” but wouldn’t know which of their site impressions corresponded to which origin.

                  • Womble@lemmy.worldEnglish
                    5·
                    8 days ago

                    There’s legitimate interest in knowing where people come from, though, and asking on your own page “how did you get here?” is hardly going to work

                    I fundamentally disagree, if shops started scanning people’s phones as they walked in to find where they had been last before they entered their shop people would be outraged, but somehow this has become accepted practice on the web.

                • Microw@lemm.eeEnglish
                  43·
                  8 days ago

                  If people dont care enough to mess with their browser settings thenselves, then they can either a. join a privacy-focused Mastodon instance whose admin will keep the “no referer” policy, or b. live with the fact that choices are being made for them. People need to take actions for themselves, we cant treat everyone like babies.

                  • solrize@lemmy.worldEnglish
                    1·
                    6 days ago

                    If people dont care enough to mess with their browser settings thenselves, then they can either a. join a privacy-focused Mastodon instance

                    “Joining a privacy focused instance” is exactly an opt-out approach so the answer is exactly the same is before, opt-out is the wrong chocie.

                    live with the fact that choices are being made for them. People need to take actions for themselves, we cant treat everyone like babies.

                    It’s not that choices are being made for them, it’s that they are adversarial choices. There’s a difference between “treating everyone like babies” and being on their side. Users who want sites run by predatory jerks already know where Elon’s site is. The fediverse’s main appeal afaict is that it’s run by people who aren’t like Musk and Spez. That is, its operators can be trusted more. They should be looking out for the user. They should make choices for the user that the user would want them to make. Otherwise there is no point to it.

                    This article looks good: https://www.wheresyoured.at/never-forgive-them/ :

                    The people running the majority of internet services have used a combination of monopolies and a cartel-like commitment to growth-at-all-costs thinking to make war with the user, turning the customer into something between a lab rat and an unpaid intern, with the goal to juice as much value from the interaction as possible.

                    I’ve only started reading it though. Anyway, if the fedivese has anything to offer, it’s a respite from that. Stop trying to ruin it.

          • solrize@lemmy.worldEnglish
            7·
            8 days ago

            Better ask whose benefit the system is being run for in that case. If I want a system run by Elon Musk then I already know where to find one.