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Chrome documents hyperlink auditing as enabled by default through its hyperlinkAuditingEnabled privacy setting. Firefox exposes the same DOM property, but transmission depends on the browser.send_pings preference, so Firefox support is considered partial. You can suppress the requests with the relevant browser, extension, administrator, or privacy-tool setting.
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What hyperlink auditing is
Hyperlink auditing is the web platform feature behind the HTML ping attribute. A page author places one or more measurement URLs in an anchor or area element:
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<a href='https://destination.example/' ping='https://metrics.example/ping https://analytics.example/click'>Read more</a>The visible destination in href is still the page you navigate to. Each URL in ping is an additional endpoint that can receive an audit request when the link is activated. The feature is commonly used to count outbound clicks, measure which off-site links are popular, or record advertising click-throughs. MDN labels the attribute “Typically for tracking” in its reference for the <a> element.
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It is not a replacement for navigation. The browser loads the destination request and schedules the audit request separately, so a game article can open an external guide or storefront even if a privacy control blocks the measurement call.
What request a browser sends
The HTML Standard’s hyperlink-auditing algorithm defines the request format. Understanding these details lets you recognize a ping in developer tools rather than confusing it with the normal page load.
Multiple URLs are allowed
The value of ping is parsed as a whitespace-separated list. Every token is resolved relative to the document’s URL. Invalid URLs and schemes other than HTTP or HTTPS are ignored. If the attribute contains two valid HTTPS endpoints, the browser can issue two audit requests for one activation.
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For each remaining URL, the browser sends a POST. The content type is text/ping, and the request body is exactly the four-character string PING—there is no JSON payload, form field, or click description in the body. MDN summarizes this behavior in its HTMLAnchorElement.ping documentation.
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Headers and request metadata
The standard defines Ping-From and Ping-To HTTP request headers. Ping-From identifies the page containing the link, while Ping-To identifies the navigation target. The standard specifically states that these headers are included in hyperlink-auditing requests.
The request’s initiator type is ping, its credentials mode is include, and it uses no referrer. “Include” still operates under ordinary cookie rules, such as cookie scope, SameSite behavior, user settings, and blocking by privacy software. A browser, extension, enterprise policy, or network intermediary can also suppress or alter what reaches the endpoint, so a server should not assume that every standards-defined header will be visible in every environment.
Chrome and Chromium behavior
Chromium’s privacy API defines a Boolean setting named hyperlinkAuditingEnabled. Its documented description is that, when enabled, Chrome sends auditing pings requested by a website through <a ping>. The current Chromium source lists the default value as true; see the Chromium privacy API definition.
That is a Chrome/Chromium default, not a guarantee for every Chromium-derived browser, managed installation, or profile. An administrator can enforce a value, and an extension or privacy product can change it. If a device is managed, a local change may be unavailable or may be overwritten by policy.
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How to disable Chrome auditing
Chrome does not present the preference as a prominent everyday content setting. The practical controls are the Chromium privacy API, an extension that uses it, or an administrator policy.
- Check whether the profile is managed. On a managed computer, the organization’s policy can control hyperlink auditing. Contact the administrator if the setting is locked.
- Use a trusted privacy extension that exposes hyperlink auditing. Its control should set the Chromium privacy value
hyperlinkAuditingEnabledtofalse. Read the extension’s permissions and source or publisher information before installing it. - For developers testing their own extension, request the
privacypermission and set the website preference. The essential call is:
chrome.privacy.websites.hyperlinkAuditingEnabled.set({ value: false });The call can fail or have no lasting effect when policy controls the profile. A value of false suppresses auditing pings requested by pages; it does not disable ordinary link navigation, redirects, or JavaScript requests.
Firefox behavior
Firefox exposes the HTMLAnchorElement.ping property, so page code can read and write the attribute. However, MDN marks support as partial because the property has no effect when the Firefox preference browser.send_pings is not set to true. In other words, seeing a ping attribute in page source does not prove that a Firefox profile sent a network request.
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How to turn off pings in Firefox
- Enter
about:configin the Firefox address bar and acknowledge the warning if Firefox displays one. - Search for
browser.send_pings. - Set the Boolean preference to
false. Firefox will then decline to send hyperlink-auditing requests from that profile. - To test the feature later, return to the same preference and set it to
true, subject to any administrator or extension policy.
This preference affects the audit request only. The link’s normal navigation still occurs unless another setting or extension blocks it.
Chrome versus Firefox at a glance
| Question | Chrome/Chromium | Firefox |
|---|---|---|
| Is the DOM property exposed? | Yes; pages can use the anchor’s ping property. |
Yes, but MDN documents support as partial. |
| Default documented behavior | hyperlinkAuditingEnabled defaults to true in Chromium’s privacy API source. |
Sending depends on the profile’s browser.send_pings preference. |
| Request format when sent | Standards-defined POST, text/ping, body PING, with hyperlink-auditing headers. |
The same HTML Standard algorithm applies when Firefox allows transmission. |
| Ways to suppress it | Set the privacy value to false through a trusted extension, administrator policy, or privacy control. |
Set browser.send_pings to false; extensions and policy can also intervene. |
| Does suppression stop navigation? | No. It removes the separate audit request. | No. It removes the separate audit request. |
How to verify whether a ping was sent
Use a controlled test page or a link on a site you operate. Do not assume that an analytics dashboard proves a request was made; inspect the browser’s network activity.
- Open the page in Chrome or Firefox and open the browser’s developer tools.
- Select the Network panel and enable log preservation if navigation would otherwise clear the list.
- Activate the link once. A hover, page load, or merely parsing the HTML does not activate the link.
- Filter the requests by the ping endpoint’s host or by the request type shown as
ping. Keep the destination navigation request in view so you can compare the two. - Open the audit request and check for method
POST, content typetext/ping, and a request payload ofPING. InspectPing-FromandPing-Towhen the browser and developer-tools view expose them. - Repeat with Firefox’s
browser.send_pingsset totrueand thenfalse. The destination should continue to navigate while the separate request disappears when sending is disabled.
If the endpoint is cross-origin, the server does not need to return data to the page for the navigation to work. The audit is a background measurement request, not an API response consumed by the link’s document.
Privacy and tracking implications
A ping gives a site an additional, out-of-band click signal. A game-news page could use it to count how many readers followed an external review, guide, tournament page, or digital storefront link without routing the visible navigation through a tracking redirect. Advertisers can use the same mechanism to record click-through rates.
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The HTML Standard notes that hyperlink auditing is redundant with older techniques such as HTTP redirects and JavaScript for tracking. Its practical advantage is separation: the browser can show the final destination while scheduling the measurement request independently. That separation can make the URL easier to inspect, but it also means a user may send a tracking request without seeing a redirect or script-generated intermediate page.
Disabling pings reduces one tracking channel. It does not block every form of measurement. Redirects, first-party analytics, embedded content, server logs, cookies, and JavaScript can still create other signals. Conversely, allowing pings does not automatically reveal a full browsing history: the endpoint receives the request generated for that activated link, subject to the browser’s credentials and privacy rules.
Developer guidance for game sites
Use it only when the measurement is justified
Before adding ping, decide what the endpoint needs to measure and whether ordinary server analytics or a transparent redirect would be more appropriate. Tell readers when outbound-click measurement is part of your site’s privacy notice. Avoid placing unnecessary third-party endpoints on every external link.
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Keep navigation reliable
Always provide a normal, valid href. A ping endpoint is not a fallback destination and should not be required for the link to work. If the endpoint is unavailable, blocked, or suppressed by the browser, the reader should still reach the intended page.
Handle the exact wire format
Configure the receiving service to accept the standards-defined POST with Content-Type: text/ping and body PING. Treat the Ping-From and Ping-To values as request metadata, not as proof that a human completed a purchase or stayed on the destination. Browser settings and network tools can prevent or modify delivery.
Do not infer universal browser coverage
Chrome’s documented default and a Firefox profile with browser.send_pings enabled are different deployment assumptions. If click counts matter, monitor the proportion of requests received and document that the number represents delivered audit requests, not every link activation.
Troubleshooting missing or unexpected requests
- No request in Chrome: the profile may have
hyperlinkAuditingEnableddisabled, an extension may be blocking it, or an administrator policy may control the value. - No request in Firefox: check
browser.send_pingsfirst. A false value is sufficient to explain why the DOM property exists but no network call appears. - Only the destination appears: verify that the link was activated, that each ping token is a valid HTTP(S) URL, and that the endpoint was not blocked by a privacy or network control.
- The request appears without expected headers: inspect the browser version and the network path. The standard defines the headers, but privacy software, enterprise filtering, or an intermediary can affect what the server observes.
- Several requests appear: check whether the attribute contains multiple whitespace-separated URLs. Each valid token can produce its own audit request.
- Analytics numbers are lower than clicks: treat this as expected possibility rather than an immediate implementation bug. Users may suppress pings, browsers may differ, and network controls may prevent delivery.
The authoritative references are the WHATWG hyperlink-auditing section, MDN’s HTMLAnchorElement.ping page, Chromium’s privacy API source, and MDN’s WebExtensions privacy documentation.
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