Tightening restrictions on third-party cookies are fundamentally shaking digital marketing's measurement infrastructure. Google scrapped its plan to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome in July 2024, but Safari and Firefox implemented default blocking as early as 2020. According to StatCounter data from May 2026, domestic Japanese browser share is Chrome at 57.89%, Safari at 21.88%, and Edge at 13.41%, meaning Safari alone, which blocks third-party cookies by default, accounts for roughly one in five browsing environments. In this situation, short URLs are being reevaluated as valuable touchpoints that can collect click-level first-party data. Short URL redirect processing passes through your own server (or the URL shortening service's server), enabling data acquisition at the click point without depending on cookies.
Let's organize from a technical perspective why short URLs are suitable for first-party data collection. When a user clicks a short URL, an HTTP request is first sent to the URL shortening service's server. This request contains user agent (browser and OS information), referrer (source page), IP address (used for geographic estimation), access timestamp, and language settings. These are all server-side data obtainable from HTTP headers, with zero dependency on client-side cookies or JavaScript. This means short URL click data is reliably recorded even in environments with active ad blockers or cookie blockers. According to IAB's State of Data 2024 report, 42.7% of desktop users use some form of ad blocker, meaning relying solely on client-side measurement risks missing over 40% of user behavior. Short URLs measurable server-side are an effective means to fill this measurement gap.
Combining UTM parameters with short URLs is the most practical campaign measurement method in cookieless environments. Append UTM parameters (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content) to destination URLs, then compress those long URLs with short URLs to achieve both clean appearance and tracking precision. The key point is that UTM parameters are data received as first-party by the destination server (your site), functioning completely independently of third-party cookies. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) automatically recognizes UTM parameters and reflects them in traffic source analysis. However, UTM parameter design requires care. If naming conventions are not unified within the team, data fragmentation occurs where the same campaign is aggregated as different sources. Situations where utm_source=twitter, utm_source=Twitter, and utm_source=X coexist significantly degrade analysis accuracy. Creating naming convention documentation and incorporating UTM parameter validation into short URL generation is recommended.
As an advanced server-side measurement application, there is a technique of issuing first-party cookies during short URL redirect processing. When using your own domain short URLs (link.yourcompany.com/campaign), you can set first-party cookies during redirect processing and read those cookies on your destination site, tracking the user journey from click to conversion. This method does not constitute third-party cookies, so it is unaffected by browser privacy restrictions. However, Safari's ITP (Intelligent Tracking Prevention) limits JavaScript-set cookie expiration to a maximum of 7 days even for first-party cookies. Cookies issued via Set-Cookie header on the server side are not subject to this restriction, so issuing cookies during short URL redirect processing (server-side) has an advantage in circumventing ITP constraints. When implementing, always provide a mechanism (cookie banner etc.) that clearly states cookie purposes to users and obtains consent. Under GDPR and Japan's amended Personal Information Protection Act, explicit user consent is required for tracking-purpose cookie issuance.
Privacy regulation compliance is an unavoidable theme in cookieless era tracking strategy. The EU's GDPR, Japan's amended Personal Information Protection Act (enforced 2022), and California's CCPA/CPRA all define strict regulations on user data collection and use. Data collected through short URLs (IP addresses, user agents, referrers, etc.) may constitute personal-related information or personal data under these regulations. IP addresses in particular are clearly defined as personal data under GDPR. To ensure compliance, the following measures are necessary: first, clearly state in your privacy policy the fact and purpose of data collection through short URLs; second, implement IP address anonymization (masking the last octet etc.); third, set data retention periods to the minimum necessary with automatic deletion after expiration; fourth, provide means for users to opt out of data collection. These measures involve technical burden but are essential for both legal risk avoidance and earning user trust.
Let's summarize short URL utilization strategy for the cookieless era. Short-term, improving campaign measurement accuracy through combining UTM parameters with short URLs is the most immediately effective measure. Medium-term, introducing your own domain short URLs and building a foundation for server-side first-party cookie issuance and click data accumulation is recommended. Long-term, integrating short URL click data with CRM and marketing automation tools to build a first-party data ecosystem based on user consent is the goal. The important point is that tracking technology evolution and privacy regulation strengthening are two sides of the same coin, and a paradigm shift is required from "how to collect more data" to "how to gain meaningful insights from less data." Short URLs are tools that can collect data tied to clear user actions (clicks) in a privacy-conscious manner. Let's maximize this characteristic to build sustainable measurement infrastructure independent of cookies.