Referrer Stripper on Outbound Links

WHAT IT DOES

This script strips referrer information from outbound links on any webpage, protecting your privacy when you click links to external sites. When you click a link to another website, the destination site typically receives the URL of the page you came from—this is the referrer. This script prevents that by adding rel="noreferrer" to all external links, telling the browser not to send the referrer header. It also adds rel="noopener" for security and sets referrerpolicy="no-referrer". You can whitelist specific domains where referrer information should be preserved, such as sites you trust or sites where referrer data is needed for functionality. The script processes links dynamically as new content loads, so it works on single-page apps and infinite-scroll pages.

WHERE IT RUNS

The script runs on all websites (*://*/*), making it truly universal. It works on any page with external links—articles, search results, social media, and more. It supports both desktop and mobile views.

HOW TO USE

After installation, the settings panel appears on the left side of the screen with the gear emoji (⚙️). Open the panel to configure the script:

- The "Enable referrer stripping" toggle enables or disables the script.

- Add domains to the whitelist (one per line) to preserve referrer information for specific sites.

- Click "Strip referrers now" to manually process all links on the current page.

- Click "Reset links" to remove referrer stripping from all links.

The script works automatically—just browse the web and referrer information will be stripped from outbound links.

TECHNICAL SECTION — REAL MECHANISM

The script scans the page for all anchor elements with an href attribute. It determines if a link is external by comparing the link's domain to the current page's domain, using the URL API. Links to javascript:, mailto:, and tel: protocols are ignored. If a link is external and not on the whitelist, the script adds the rel="noreferrer" attribute (preserving any existing rel values), adds rel="noopener" for security, and sets referrerpolicy="no-referrer". The script uses a WeakSet to track processed links and avoid duplicate work. A MutationObserver watches for DOM changes and processes new links as they are added. The whitelist is checked by looking for a substring match between the link's domain and any whitelisted domain.

THE PANEL

The settings panel is built with BotGentz's BGPanel component. It is draggable via its header, allowing you to reposition it anywhere on the screen. The panel snaps to the left edge by default but can be moved freely. Click the gear emoji to collapse the panel into a small bubble, and click the bubble to expand it again. The panel remembers its position per page session. Press the Escape key to quickly close or minimize the panel. The panel includes a status flash bar that provides visual feedback when settings are changed or actions are performed. All settings and the whitelist save automatically via GM_setValue.

PLEASE NOTE

This script requires the free BotGentz browser extension to run. It does not function as a standalone Chrome extension and does not use chrome.* APIs. The script modifies link behavior by adding attributes—this does not break link functionality but may affect sites that rely on referrer information. The whitelist allows you to preserve referrer data for sites where it's needed. The script does not strip referrer for links that open in a new tab via target="_blank" if noopener is not set; it adds noopener for security. The script stores only your preferences and whitelist via GM_setValue. No data is sent externally—all processing is performed locally in your browser. The script never reads or writes password fields, hidden inputs, or file inputs. All DOM operations use safe methods (style properties, textContent, appendChild) and never use innerHTML.