Mozilla is introducing a new feature to Firefox aimed at protecting users from bounce trackers, the browser developer has announced. Bounce tracking is a technique where a user clicks a link but ends up reaching their intended destination via an intermediary tracking page. This allows trackers to pl...
If someone posts a YouTube link on Facebook it will show the thumbnail and the description and that's it. There's literally no way to locate the video because it obscures the address, ensuring that the only way to reach that link is by clicking it and running through Facebook's tracking system (l.facebook.com).
YouTube itself has also begun doing the same thing, obscuring the title and channel in the browser, so you can't even search for the video via FreeTube or NewPipe or anything else.
Reddit is also doing this now by hijacking links and redirecting to out.reddit.com
It could only know that by navigating to the link in the background. That would have side effects, like them being able to track you even when you don't click on links.
No it's the browser's fault for enabling the deception. You have to assume that any given website is malicious. The browser is a security product that is supposed to be on our side and protect us from evil websites. Blaming the website for exploiting protection failures puts the responsibility in the wrong place. It's like taking counterfeit antibiotics, getting sick, and blaming the germs.