"These tags are somewhat benign, allowing websites to serve personalized adverts, or track which sources are having the most success in shepherding users to a website. However, this is inarguably a form of tracking users across the web, something that many people, and Apple itself, aren't keen on."
"Firefox recently announced that they are offering users a choice on whether or not to include tracking information from copied URLs, which comes on the on the heels of iOS 17 blocking user tracking via URLs."
"If it became more intrusive and they blocked UTM tags, it would take awhile for them all to catch on if you were to circumvent UTM tags by simply tagging things in a series of sub-directories.. ie. site.com/landing/<tag1>/<tag2> etc.
Also, most savvy marketers are already integrating future proof workarounds for these exact scenarios.
A lot can be done with pixel based integrations rather than cookie based or UTM tracking. When set up properly they can actually provide better and more accurate tracking and attribution. Hence the name of my agency, Pixel Main."
Perhaps tags do not necessarily need to begin with "utm". They could begin with any string, e.g., "gift_link", "unlocked_article_code", etc., as long as the tag has a unique component, enabling the website operator and its marketing partners to identify the person (account) who originally shared the URL and to associate all those who click on it with that person (account).
It pisses me off. Does anyone know when exactly Google stopped carrying about cloaking? It is the same with Linkedin, you will get a login screen when following a link from Google results. Which was punishable with penalizing position or even removing of site in "good old times".
> If you operate a paywall or a content-gating mechanism, we don't consider this to be cloaking if Google can see the full content of what's behind the paywall just like any person who has access to the gated material
