Learn

284 articlesCategory: All
URL tracking

UTM Parameters

UTM parameters are analytics information attached to URLs.

They are used in advertisements, email newsletters, social media posts, campaign pages, and similar places to measure where traffic came from.

UTM itself is a common mechanism in web operations.

However, from the perspective of anonymity, if UTM parameters remain in a shared URL, they become clues that show "which route the link was obtained through," "which campaign it came from," or "which medium someone was viewing."

This article organizes what UTM parameters mean, when they become a problem for anonymity, and how to handle them before sharing.

What are UTM parameters?

UTM parameters are analytics values attached to the end of a URL.

They are typically used with names like the following.

ParameterMain meaningExample
utm_sourceTraffic sourcenewsletter, x, google
utm_mediumMediumemail, social, cpc
utm_campaignCampaign namespring_sale, launch
utm_termAdvertising keywordsearch_term
utm_contentType of ad or linkbutton_a, banner_1

These are used by site operators to see "which campaign or channel brought the traffic."

For example, even for links to the same article, they can separately measure whether traffic came from email, social media, or an advertisement.

UTM is separate from communication encryption.

Even when you access over HTTPS, the destination site processes the URL sent to it. In other words, if the URL has UTM parameters attached, the destination site receives those values.

Why UTM relates to anonymity

UTM parameters do not directly show a real name.

Even so, they relate to anonymity.

The reason is that UTM shows the "context of access."

Information shown by UTMWhat can be learnedAnonymity caution
utm_sourceWhich medium someone came fromBecomes a clue to a specific email, social media site, or advertisement route
utm_mediumWhich type of traffic it wasShows routes such as email, social, or paid
utm_campaignWhich campaign it wasConnects to a campaign for a specific time period or target
utm_termWhich search term or advertising termLeaves interest or search context
utm_contentWhich link was clickedBecomes a clue to an A/B test or individual link

For example, suppose you introduce an article from an anonymous account.

You did not write your real name in the body text. You did not attach an image.

However, if utm_source=newsletter remains in the URL, it indicates the possibility that you viewed the article through an email newsletter.

If that email distribution was limited to certain members, the range of people who had that URL becomes narrower.

UTM alone does not identify the person.

However, when it connects with posting time, account, subscription status, cookies, and access logs, it becomes material for correlation.

UTM is often removable

UTM parameters are often unnecessary for displaying the page itself.

For that reason, the same page may open even if they are removed before sharing.

However, you must always check.

CheckWhat to look atReason
Open after removing UTMWhether the same page appearsCheck whether it is unnecessary for display
Open while logged outWhether other people can also see the pageAvoid sharing a page meant only for you
Check whether it is a shortened URLWhether UTM remains in the final URLTracking values may be attached after expansion
Check other parametersWhether there are IDs other than UTMClick IDs or individual IDs may remain

Even if you remove only UTM, other tracking values such as gclid, fbclid, ref, and affiliate may remain.

Therefore, do not stop the judgment at UTM alone. Check the whole URL as part of URL tracking.

Think separately about UTM and individual identifiers

In many cases, UTM is information for measuring "which medium or campaign someone came from."

On the other hand, a URL may also contain individual identifiers issued per user, per email, or per invitation link.

If you confuse these two, your judgment will be wrong.

TypeExamplePoint to check
UTMutm_source, utm_campaignOften shows traffic source or campaign
Ad click IDgclid, fbclidMay connect to a click on an ad or social media platform
Referral IDref, affiliateMay show whose referral or which partner source
Individual IDuid, token, sessionMay be a value close to a user or temporary access

Removing UTM is an effective check, but it is not the whole safety check for a URL.

From the perspective of anonymity, individual IDs may be stronger clues than UTM.

Therefore, after removing UTM, always look for other remaining parameters.

How to think when removing UTM

When removing UTM, the purpose is not to "make the URL look clean."

The purpose is to reduce context information that is unnecessary for sharing.

For example, suppose there is a URL like this.

sample.test/page?utm_source=social&utm_campaign=event&id=123

Here, utm_source and utm_campaign are often values for analytics.

On the other hand, id=123 may be required to display the page.

In this case, the judgment may be to remove only UTM and leave id=123.

In other words, do not delete all parameters. Separate and handle their meanings.

Common mistakes

MistakeWhat happens
Pasting an email link as-isDelivery route and campaign information remain
Sharing a social media ad URL as-isAd click and medium information remain
Looking only at UTM and not other valuesClick IDs and referral codes remain
Not reopening after removalYou cannot confirm that it is the correct page
Checking only while logged inYou share a URL that other people cannot open

UTM is an easy-to-recognize tracking parameter.

That is why it is also an area where people may feel reassured after removing only UTM.

However, for anonymity, the question is not "did I remove the easy-to-recognize thing?" but "what does the remaining information connect to?"

Practice before sharing

Before sharing a URL with UTM, check it as follows.

  • Look for parameters that start with utm_
  • Check whether the same page opens after removing UTM
  • Look for tracking values other than UTM
  • Check whether it opens while logged out or in another browser
  • Check whether you are using a shortened URL or redirect

This check does not need to take too much time.

However, if you are sharing something anonymously, you should build the habit of looking once right after copying the URL.

URLs are less noticeable than body text, so they are easy to miss.

Summary

UTM parameters are analytics information attached to URLs.

utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, and similar values show which medium or campaign the traffic came from.

UTM does not directly show a real name.

However, because it shows the route through which a link was obtained and the browsing context, it becomes material for correlation in anonymity.

Before sharing, check whether the same page opens after removing UTM.

However, do not stop by looking only at UTM. Also check click IDs, referral codes, session-like values, and shortened URLs.

The goal is not to make the URL clean.

The goal is to reduce context information that is unnecessary for sharing.

Related articles