cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/37402366

This is the main reason I completely ditched Reddit, if you use the new Reddit interface instead of the old one (old.reddit.com), you’ll see a constant request being made to “https://www.reddit.com/svc/shreddit/events” (open your DevTools > Network tab, can’t see on Firefox idk why).

The problem is, if you add this to your Ublock Origin filters the website won’t load properly, that’s why uBO team didn’t block it already.

You’ll notice this request isn’t only being made from a interval but also when you do basically any action in the site, like pausing or resuming a video (send timestamps of when did you pause or resumed).

It sends other kind of data like what subjects you’re seeing when closed a tab or the related subjects of a post you click, this all can be used to trace a perfect profile of you and things you like.

You can avoid that using the old.reddit but it still has the same kind of tracker, even tho you can block it here without major issues.

By my analysis, old Reddit interface does the same but to a random URL path that always starts with “reddit.com/api/something”. Ex.: reddit.com/api/friends So you can block anything that starts with “www.reddit.com/api” in your custom filters (after all you’re using old.reddit.com), then you’re mostly free from Reddit trackers (more or less). Side effect is, you won’t be able to use the chat in the old interface.

You can block it with a carefully-crafted userscript that hooks the fetch API and returns fake responses for the svc event, but then Reddit starts flagging your IP address as a bot and demands you log in to an account to prove otherwise. You can’t win.

Ironically the only time reddit cares about stopping bots.

Cosmoooooooo
link
fedilink
43d

If I was a bot, I’d make you a heart out of pink cardboard.

Yes, that’s what I told uBO team when I opened a discussion on their sub, they said they tried it but some functions like chat stopped working properly.

I’d try it myself but I think I really don’t care that much anymore, let it just die already.

Who cares about chat anyway

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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

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