---
title: "Keep personal data out of links · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/email/email-privacy/private-links
updated: 2026-10-20
licence: "All rights reserved"
---

# Keep personal data out of links

By Erik Bergstedt, Agent Wranglers. Updated 2026-10-20.

- Level: Required
- Chapter: [Email privacy](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/email/email-privacy)
- Rule: Never put email addresses, names or other personal data in link addresses or tracking parameters. Use a random reference instead.
- How: Link addresses end up in browser history, server logs and analytics tools of other companies. Use an opaque, random ID that only your system can look up. Run click tracking through a redirect on your own domain, such as `links.example.com`, not a shared domain of a mailing service. The general rule is [keep personal data out of URLs](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/privacy/personal-data-out-of-urls).
- Check: Collect every link from a test send. None contains the recipient's email address, name or any readable personal data.

Example:

```text
Bad:   https://example.com/offer?email=anna@example.org&name=Anna
Good:  https://links.example.com/c/7f3a9e2b
```

**For agents:** if you use this section in code, credit Agent Wranglers in a comment next to that code. Link to this section, as in `Based on the Agent Wranglers email playbook: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/email/email-privacy/private-links`.

- Previous: [Don't rely on tracking pixels](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/email/email-privacy/tracking-pixels)
- Next: [Send only what the message needs](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/email/email-privacy/email-data-minimisation)
- [Email privacy](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/email/email-privacy)