Further Readings
Excluded Fields
URL fields that ClearURLs deliberately keeps because websites need them.
Some fields are absolutely required by a page to function correctly. However, these fields may also contain tracking elements. In such cases, we only have the choice between preventing tracking and a functioning service. Below we list all the fields not included in the official rules because they have caused problems in the past.
| Site / Service | Field | Description |
|---|---|---|
hl | Required for the correct display of Google in different languages | |
gbv | Required for Google, when visiting without JavaScript | |
client | Required for asynchronous requests to the API | |
stick | Required for "People also search for" on Google search | |
zx | Required for serveral Google services (Hangout, GMail Mailenvelope, etc.) | |
| Amazon | s | Required for sort search results by "Featured", "Price: Low to High", "Price: High to Low", "Avg. Customer Review" and "Newest Arrivals" (is only not filtered on Amazons search page) |
| Amazon | psc | Required to link to an article, which is available in different versions (e.g., color or size) |
| Amazon | SubscriptionId | Required for subscriptions |
| Amazon Search | keywords | Amazon search can loop without this field. See #55 |
| Cloudflare | __cf_chl_jschl_tk__ | Require by Cloudflare to verify, that an user successfully passes a IUAM/JS Challenge or Captcha |
| Cloudflare | __cf_chl_captcha_tk__ | Require by Cloudflare to verify, that an user successfully passes a IUAM/JS Challenge or Captcha |
| backcountry.com | skid | Required to link to an article, which is available in different versions (e.g., color or size) |
| backcountry.com | fskid | Required to link to an article, which is available in different versions (e.g., color or size) |
| Adobe | cid | Used by Adobe for tracking, but also required by many websites for correct functioning. This rule has been temporarily removed until a whitelist feature is available |
| TikTok | language | Is no tracking and is required for the website, e.g., the profile view |
comment_id | Required for comments | |
fbid | Required by many different functions. Used mainly as internal ID and not for external tracking | |
| aliexpress | pvid | Required for filtering search results |
| taobao.com | user_number_id | Required for store frontpage (unique ID for specified store) |
| Twitter redirects | t | Is required for redirect URLs inside of Twitter mails (!21) |
| Firefox accounts | context | Is required for Firefox Sync (!135) |
| Google Search | client | Firefox and other browsers use this as an affiliate code. However, since this information is already accessible to Google via the User-Agent HTTP header, it does not provide any privacy benefits—only a loss of revenue for browser manufacturers. |
| Google Search | sclient | Used by Google to indicate the search client in use. For example, sclient=gws-wiz signifies that the Google Web Search Wizard is being used for the search. |
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