LinkCleanhttps://www.google.com/search?q=ramen&gl=jp&hl=ja
LinkClean preserves this parameter — no change.
gl
Region & language (preserved) · Google (Search, Maps, Shopping) · functional — preserved
What is gl?
What gl actually does
Where hl controls *interface language* (which language Google's UI is rendered in), gl controls *result region* (which country the results are localised to). They can be set independently — hl=ja&gl=us gives you Japanese UI but US-localised results.
gl values are ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes: us, gb, jp, de, fr, etc. They affect Search results' ranking (Google biases toward sources from that country), Maps' default region, and Shopping's currency / merchant pool.
Why it's not tracking
gl is a preference state, like hl. It doesn't carry identity, doesn't follow your click anywhere, and isn't tied to a cookie. Forwarding gl=jp tells the recipient's Google session to localise to Japan — that may or may not be what you intended, but it doesn't leak who you are.
How LinkClean handles it
Preserved on every host. Paired with hl in the language/region exemption set — both are documented in the glossary but never stripped.
Frequently asked
What's the difference between gl and hl?
gl is the country (which region's results to return); hl is the language (which language to render the UI in). They can be set independently.
What values does gl take?
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes: us, gb, jp, de, fr, br, etc.
Does LinkClean strip gl?
No. gl is in the same explicit exemption set as hl, lang, setlang, and v (YouTube video ID).
Will the results change if I keep gl?
Yes — Google biases ranking and merchant pools toward the named country. That's the point of the parameter.
Clean tracking on iPhone, in one tap.
LinkClean strips ~80 vendor-specific tracking parameters from any link, from any app's share sheet — and preserves functional ones like hl, t (YouTube timestamp), and q (search). No account, on-device.
