At least for now, facebook has an endpoint that converts from new to old.

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=URL_ENCODED_N...

Returns references to the older style url in the returned html.

I also noticed it's calling that new style base64 string a "story_token" in places, and uses it in conjunction with "page_token" set to "VICE" in this case.

Thanks for digging this up! Looks like a path forward

Nit picky but isn't this action actually illegal in some jurisdictions ?

For example in France: « Obstructing or distorting the operation of an automated data processing system is punishable by five years' imprisonment and a fine of €150,000. »

maybe! lots of reasonable anti-capitalist action is illegal. it's good to be aware but nothing to be respectful of

But fetching data from an http server by giving it a URL is what it's for; how can that be "Obstructing or distorting" it?

I was actually wondering why the big trackers haven't implemented this yet and how much time it will take them to switch. I mean, the tracking part of the URL is so obvious it's just sitting there and asking to be removed. Most tech people do that, also some extensions, and now Firefox. So it was just a question of time.

Not true if people just choose to stop or slow their use of Facebook. Most of my friends there are barely active. I never use the app, only desktop with ad blocking, but still, nothing there is really interesting to me, so I'm rarely on FB at all. Across the web I never use it to authenticate, and if a private company asks me for any personal info, it's usually inaccurate info that I enter.

I have remembered a fake birth date, fake home address, and other details that I use for all these sites, unless they're related to commerce or legally justified purposes. We do not need to provide accurate info to private companies that mis-use our data (provided it is not required for our own reputational purposes).

Golly is Facebook extremely boring, dull, and utterly a user experience nightmare... I miss all my friend's birthdays frequently because the experience is so undesirable and unenjoyable on it.

Twitter is also fast becoming my least favorite thing to use as well because of a habitually botched user experience.

the point isn't the one individual service or actor, these behaviors are incentivized and enabled systematically and will repeat