Title: Search issue
Last modified: July 31, 2026

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# Search issue

 *  Resolved [peopleinside](https://wordpress.org/support/users/peopleinside/)
 * (@peopleinside)
 * [1 week, 1 day ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/search-issue-29/)
 * Hi, I hope you are well. Thank you for your plugin!
   I have the following issue
   with [Hestia Theme](https://it.wordpress.org/themes/hestia/):
 * When I search something in the website using the search function showed in the
   front-end Hestia template (navigation on top or blog page) a long token is added
   to the URL.
 * This is very bad when the URL is used to be shared. Can this behavior be resolved?
 * ![](https://i0.wp.com/i.postimg.cc/fLYkTrdY/Screenshot-2026-07-31-141121.png?
   ssl=1)
 * I’m able to reproduce also on [https://playground.wordpress.net](https://playground.wordpress.net)
   just installing and activating Hestia theme and your plugin then going on the
   home page and in the search box search something.
 * Any help to resolve this will be appreciated
 * Deactivating your plugin resolve the issue but leave the website unprotect from
   spam.
 * ![](https://i0.wp.com/i.postimg.cc/qR2gM5KK/Screenshot-2026-07-31-141236.png?
   ssl=1)
 * If the second screen is not visible you can see here: [https://i.postimg.cc/qR2gM5KK/Screenshot-2026-07-31-141236.png](https://i.postimg.cc/qR2gM5KK/Screenshot-2026-07-31-141236.png)
    -  This topic was modified 1 week, 1 day ago by [peopleinside](https://wordpress.org/support/users/peopleinside/).
      Reason: Fixing screenshots
    -  This topic was modified 1 week, 1 day ago by [peopleinside](https://wordpress.org/support/users/peopleinside/).
      Reason: Fix
 * The page I need help with: _[[log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Fsearch-issue-29%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US)
   to see the link]_

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  Thread Starter [peopleinside](https://wordpress.org/support/users/peopleinside/)
 * (@peopleinside)
 * [1 week, 1 day ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/search-issue-29/#post-18980558)
 * While I hope in a fix I have added the following snippet to fix the issue:
 *     ```wp-block-code
       add_action( 'template_redirect', 'rimuovi_gdpr_token_dalla_ricerca' );function rimuovi_gdpr_token_dalla_ricerca() {    if ( is_search() && isset( $_GET['s'] ) && isset( $_GET['gdpr_pow_token'] ) ) {        $search_query = get_search_query();        $clean_url = get_search_link( $search_query );        wp_redirect( $clean_url, 301 );        exit;    }}
       ```
   
 *  Plugin Author [Matthias Nordwig](https://wordpress.org/support/users/matthiasnordwig/)
 * (@matthiasnordwig)
 * [5 days, 15 hours ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/search-issue-29/#post-18982924)
 * Hi @peopleinside,
 * Thank you — and thanks especially for the crystal-clear reproduction (Hestia 
   + Playground made this trivial to pin down).
 * **This is fixed in the version I just released (5.1).** The cause was exactly
   what you saw: the invisible token was being added as a hidden field to _every_
   form, including GET forms like the Hestia search box — and on a GET form a hidden
   field becomes a visible URL parameter (`?s=…&gdpr_pow_token=…`). In 5.1 the token
   is only added to POST forms, so search URLs stay clean. The plugin only ever 
   checks POST submissions anyway, so nothing is lost on the protection side.
 * Once you update to 5.1 you can **remove your `template_redirect` snippet** — 
   it’s no longer needed. (Small heads-up if you keep it in the meantime: a `301`
   is cached permanently by browsers/proxies, so a `302` would be safer for a temporary
   redirect.)
 * Best regards,
   Matthias
 *  Thread Starter [peopleinside](https://wordpress.org/support/users/peopleinside/)
 * (@peopleinside)
 * [5 days, 13 hours ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/search-issue-29/#post-18983010)
 * Hi [@matthiasnordwig](https://wordpress.org/support/users/matthiasnordwig/) Matthias
   😊🌸💖
   I’m very happy to read you and I hope you are well.
 * Thank you, the fix in the version 5.1 seems fix also all submission that was 
   set as spam in Forminator.
   I restored the plugin update. I’m happy to see your
   reply and a fix.
 * I read that you wanted to abandon this plugin and it would have been a real disaster
   without it. I tried looking for alternatives but nothing works so well. Despite
   the AI era your plugin is terrific and works very well. Thank you for keeping
   it active and for fixing the problem.
   💖
 * All the best!

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

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to reply to this topic.

 * ![](https://ps.w.org/gdpr-compliant-recaptcha-for-all-forms/assets/icon-256x256.
   jpg?rev=2819605)
 * [Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms](https://wordpress.org/plugins/gdpr-compliant-recaptcha-for-all-forms/)
 * [Frequently Asked Questions](https://wordpress.org/plugins/gdpr-compliant-recaptcha-for-all-forms/#faq)
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 * 3 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [peopleinside](https://wordpress.org/support/users/peopleinside/)
 * Last activity: [5 days, 13 hours ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/search-issue-29/#post-18983010)
 * Status: resolved