Cookies, Tracking, and URLs: What Short URLs Can and Cannot Do

First-party cookies, third-party restrictions, and fingerprinting. How short-URL click tracking relates to cookies, and what a realistic measurement design looks like.

Oct 31, 2026 / About 1 min read

BasicsSecurity

The web's tracking model has long centered on cookies, but Apple ITP and Mozilla ETP suppress third-party cookies, and while Chrome planned its own phase-out, Google scrapped that plan in July 2024 and confirmed in April 2025 that third-party cookies would stay. Short URL click measurement counts clicks without relying on cookies.

First-party cookies, set by the visited domain, still serve login state and shopping carts and remain unaffected. Third-party cookies, set by domains other than the visited one, are used for cross-site tracking; Safari blocks them by default (announced in March 2020), and Firefox and other browsers also restrict them. Short URL click tracking depends only on server-received request signals (IP, User-Agent, Referer, time), so cookie restrictions do not affect it (as of October 2026). Even on Safari and Brave, click events are recorded.

Server-Side Tagging and Conversion APIs are alternative ways to measure. Google Tag Manager Server-Side, Facebook Conversions API, and LinkedIn Conversions API push conversions directly from server to platform, bypassing the browser. One setup calls these APIs from the short URL redirect server to measure ad results.

Fingerprinting (Canvas, Audio, WebGL) is another way to identify users. Apple ITP and Brave include countermeasures, and under GDPR and APPI, consent is an issue for its use. Google's Privacy Sandbox once promised replacement APIs, but in October 2025 Google announced the retirement of its major APIs, including Topics and Attribution Reporting. For privacy-conscious measurement, combining first-party cookies, Server-Side Tagging, Conversion APIs, and short URLs is one option.

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Related Terms

Cookie

A small piece of data stored in the browser by a website. Cookies enable login persistence, shopping cart retention, and user tracking.

Browser Fingerprinting

A technique that combines unique browser and device characteristics to identify users without relying on cookies.

First-Party Data

User data that a company collects directly itself (behavior history, registration information, purchase records, and so on). It is drawing attention against the backdrop of how browsers handle third-party cookies and of privacy regulations.

Consent Management

A platform that centrally manages user consent acquisition, recording, and withdrawal for cookies and tracking. Used to address GDPR and ePrivacy Directive requirements.

FAQ

Are third-party cookies actually going away?

Not in Chrome: Google scrapped its deprecation plan in July 2024 and confirmed the status quo in April 2025. Safari still blocks them by default (announced in March 2020) and Firefox also restricts them, so the cookie-independent stack of first-party cookies + Server-Side Tagging + Conversion API + short URLs is one option.

Are short URLs affected?

No. Short URLs use server-side request data, not browser cookies. Cookie restrictions do not affect this (as of October 2026).

How does APPI relate to cookies?

Under Japan's revised act, the guidelines (as of October 2026) list browsing history collected through identifiers such as cookies as an example of personally referable information, and providing it to third parties comes with rules on confirming consent. Japan's external transmission rules (as of October 2026) also call for notice or publication, consent, or an opt-out measure when a covered service has user information sent outside, and short URL click logs may be checked in the same light.

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