What is Clear Links?

Clear Links is a Chrome extension developed by Christopher Bull, and its main feature is "Makes website links more transparent and accessible, enhancing your awareness of your navigational security and privacy.".

Extension Screenshots

Download Clear Links Extension CRX File

Download Clear Links extension files in crx format, manually install Chrome extensions in the browser, or share the crx files with friends to easily install Chrome extensions.

Extension Usage Instructions

This is a user experience improvement extension that reveals web links' destination in a more user-friendly and customisable tooltip, simply by moving your mouse over a link; by default, it highlights a URL's domain for links to external websites (customisable in the extension's Options menu) and thus enables more transparent links, improving explicit awareness of your navigation to an external website. One potential use case for Clear Links is to make you more easily aware of phishing email scams by allowing you to inspect a link's destination domain and allowing you to check if the destination is as expected -- identifying malicious links.

It is important to note that this extension does not identify malicious links for you, instead, it informs you of links to external sites so you can make the decision yourself. By default, links to pages within the same website/hostname do not have a tooltip appear. This can be changed in the Options menu.

This will make a fine addition to your security and privacy digital toolbelt.

Short URL services supported:
goo.gl, bit.ly, j.mp, t.co (partially)

Code repository and release notes can be viewed on GitHub:
https://github.com/ChristopherBull/Clear-Links/

Keywords:
URL, link, domain, hostname, Short URL, URL expander, URL expansion

Extension Basic Information

Name	Clear Links
ID	banknjcfbmhcbebgekpcenheaghfcood
Official URL	https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/clear-links/banknjcfbmhcbebgekpcenheaghfcood
Description	Makes website links more transparent and accessible, enhancing your awareness of your navigational security and privacy.
File Size	181 KB
Installation Count	641
Current Version	3.3.0
Last Updated	2024-02-16
Publish Date	2017-05-30
Rating	5.00/5 Total 6 Ratings
Developer	Christopher Bull
Email	[email protected]
Payment Type	free
Help Page URL	https://github.com/ChristopherBull/Clear-Links/
Privacy Policy Page URL	https://chrisbull.net/software/privacy.html
Supported Languages	en-GB
manifest.json
{ "update_url": "https:\/\/clients2.google.com\/service\/update2\/crx", "manifest_version": 3, "name": "Clear Links", "version": "3.3.0", "author": "Christopher Bull", "description": "Makes website links more transparent and accessible, enhancing your awareness of your navigational security and privacy.", "icons": { "16": "icon16.png", "48": "icon48.png", "128": "icon128.png" }, "permissions": [ "scripting", "storage", "identity", "webNavigation" ], "host_permissions": [ "http:\/\/\/", "https:\/\/\/" ], "key": "MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAgv1hEzO8elR0XP9jiGtSDApjag3UXFSbH\/37\/kubWHJPqVbNC+WNLiW2OQpInn8eoRUMVGWUVgfJysGsXCr8cf8xRvnGrDJKRgKQB67spzCbEtfj9fqR2FQhcg4mSFPwsy\/OygXEWlrzjkENcZbf53oMDGspl6cMa0r8P+rwsxLGjdxEcZ4YQTTYZ3D2BflmcjLtgBOj5vtEPyL3adxuMG6v5+lu5JWqbayJSA2oysk+L19BQuTaMnXcb\/j0s50PSQUa7LnkMMggijKTAm67Mj59iggbQVYcL4zu0KLztFrCJ5Xuy60JJgWKNMETukNy448yq5jzpKWfgWvtAlEI8QIDAQAB", "oauth2": { "client_id": "183253452276-9ldchuigo09bhm1frm5ms2ll7109mgr4.apps.googleusercontent.com", "scopes": [ "https:\/\/www.googleapis.com\/auth\/urlshortener" ] }, "web_accessible_resources": [ { "resources": [ "images\/*", "contentScript.css", "contentScript.js", "contentScriptSharedLib.js", "defaultSettings.js", "jquery-2.2.3.min.js" ], "matches": [ "" ] } ], "background": { "service_worker": "background.js", "type": "module" }, "options_ui": { "page": "options.html" }, "content_scripts": [ { "matches": [ "" ], "js": [ "contentScriptActivationFilter.js" ], "run_at": "document_start" } ] }