This is an example of a share URL provided to you from TikTok when you click the "Share Link" button from the share menu:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ABCDE1gHIJk2/

When you click that link, it will redirect you to a link like this:

https://www.tiktok.com/@fakename/video/1234567890101112131?_r=1&_t=1aB2CDe3fG

It has some extra bits at the end, so let me show you it's breakdown:

https://www.tiktok.com/@fakename/video/1234567890101112131 is the actual URL to the video you want to share. When you see a ? at the end of the URL, you are entering into the parameter zone.

?_r=1&_t=1aB2CDe3fG is not required to share the video, and it is the bit of data the app needs so it can present the popup you see after clicking the shared URL. When you click a shared URL a box appears before the video that says:

<Username> has shared you a video! 
<Profile Image> 
Do you want to watch & follow, or just watch?

[ Watch & Follow! ]
[ Watch ]

If your display name on TikTok is your whole name, well, everyone clicking the link now knows your name. If your TikTok username is a common username you use on the wider internet, well now you've linked that common username to the name you use here. If you're posting videos on your account that show your face... you get the idea.

So what should I do?

When you click the share button and get the link, open it in your phone or computer's browser first. Then, copy the part of the URL that is BEFORE the ? and share that link. There are also TikTok privacy front ends for TikTok like ProxiTok. One easy way to provide those links instead of a direct link is to use Farside.link. You do so by adding https://farside.link/ to the front of the TikTok URL. Like this: https://farside.link/https://www.tiktok.com/@fakename/video/1234567890101112131. Farside also works for things like Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, among others.

Anyway, hopefully this helps some people. Stay safe comrades.

  • Dessalines@lemmy.ml
    ·
    5 months ago

    We already do some scrubbing on links, so you could add this to the clean_urls function in lemmy. Lmk when you have a PR for that.

    • BakedCatboy@lemmy.ml
      ·
      5 months ago

      It would be cool if it was possible to use https://github.com/ClearURLs/Rules/ as a rule source, either as a built in option or configurable with a config option.

      • Dessalines@lemmy.ml
        ·
        5 months ago

        Totally agree, I'd def appreciate if someone could add that as a git submodule and do a PR. Open an issue if you would.

        • RedWizard [he/him, comrade/them]
          hexagon
          ·
          5 months ago

          Alright, not sure if I understood the assignment, but I've created a pull request that adds the CleanURL repo as a submodule and created an issue for it: https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/issues/4905

    • Awoo [she/her]
      ·
      edit-2
      5 months ago

      Their profile page is still under construction I'm not sure they would know how. But hopefully someone does because it's a solid suggestion. Maybe hexbear could add it then push it up.