Web developer Chris Morgan published a blog post titled "I've banned query strings" taking a firm stance against adding tracking parameters to URLs. The post struck a chord with Susam Pal, a systems programmer who runs the open-source Wander Console project, because he had recently added a controversial via= query parameter to his own tool—something he now regrets.

Wander Console is a small, decentralized web tool with over 50 websites hosting it that lets visitors explore pages recommended by a community of personal website owners. In version 0.4.0, Pal added the via= parameter so site owners could see referral traffic in their access logs. He implemented it despite his initial reluctance, succumbing to popular demand during a busy period of algebraic graph theory research when he lacked time to think clearly about the implications.

The feature immediately caused problems. Some websites use query strings for actual functionality—Pal discovered that int10h.org returns HTTP 404 errors when certain query strings are appended to URLs. His gut feeling was correct all along. He acknowledges the feature should have been opt-in rather than opt-out, and that he should have trusted his original instincts instead of implementing something questionable just because users requested it.