dontreferer.me

What It Is

DoNotReferer.Me is a minimalist redirect service designed to hide HTTP Referer information. Its goal is not URL shortening or analytics, but to replace the source Referer seen by the destination site with DoNotReferer.me when users click an external link, reducing exposure of the originating site. The page specifically notes that many modern websites put navigation state, data, or even encryption keys in the URL hash, and that the author could not find a similar service that fully preserves the hash, so this tool was built for that purpose.

Core Features and Developer Perspective

Usage is straightforward: add https://DoNotReferer.Me/# in front of the target link. A question-mark format is also available for compatibility with similar services, but the text clearly states that question-mark URLs are sent to the server and also passed to the redirected host; they are then redirected first into a hash URL. The service supports GET query strings and hash fragments, but does not forward most HTTP request methods, so it is more of a link-layer tool than a general-purpose HTTP proxy. The text does not mention supported languages, frameworks, APIs, SDKs, open-source repositories, or self-hosting options. In terms of integration, it mainly involves placing the processed URL into webpages, documents, emails, or outbound links in apps. The documentation provides several examples, URL-encoding recommendations, and available domains: DoNotReferer.Me, DontReferer.Me, and DoNotRefer.Me.

Pricing and Payments

The text does not include any subscription, quota, or commercial plan information, and the service appears to be directly free to use. The page provides cryptocurrency donation addresses for Bitcoin, Bitcoin-Cash, Ethereum, Theta, and others, so payment-related information is limited to donations. There is no indication of credit card payments, invoicing, or enterprise procurement support.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are a simple mechanism and extremely low integration cost, especially for anonymous redirect scenarios where the target URL hash needs to be preserved. No registration or backend development is required. The drawbacks are also clear: the site depends on JavaScript, and if JS is disabled, users need to manually remove the part of the URL before # or ?; the author states that they “do not intentionally log user information, but that may change in the future” and that there is “no expectation of privacy,” which is a significant risk for a privacy-related tool. In addition, the page uses informal wording and lacks a formal privacy policy, SLA, status page, or support system.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is suitable for individual webmasters, developers, and forum/documentation maintainers who want to hide outbound-link sources in low-risk scenarios, or for testing Referer behavior. It is not suitable for teams with high compliance requirements or those needing a stable SLA, audit logs, or enterprise support. The text does not provide information about access from mainland China, so it is unclear whether it can be reached directly. If access is unstable, alternatives include building a lightweight redirect page yourself, configuring Referrer-Policy, or using an anonymous redirect service that is accessible within China.