Ever wondered why the URLs are longer than required?
URLs can be confusing. Sometimes they are super short and other times they are three lines long. So, what exactly is all that stuff in between? Is it safe to forward that URL or it carries your information along with it? URLs
can be confusing!!
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, or in other words, the web address of an online resource, i.e. a web site or document.
In order to better understand this, let's take an example of Amazon. When you go to Amazon.com and type in a search term like “Shoes” and select a product, you’ll get the following resulting
Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/NIKE-Revolution-Running-Black-Cool-Regular/dp/B06XKL3DBZ/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=shoes&qid=1560048374&s=gateway&sr=8-4
Like our search query, this link shows the keywords
we used to find the product. It’s fun to look at what other people typed to find their product when they send this long link. Notice the parameter "qid" - it changes when the same search is performed using different account or different
IP address. Therefore, as you can see, using a full-width URL on a search will leave a trail that goes back to you! And these full length URLs are used by many companies to add information that leads to you.