Why do some companies use such long tracking links?

Question

When I share a link on Facebook, the tracking code is sometimes longer than the URL itself! Why not just assign a single alphanumeric tracking code -- it's shorter, easier to copy, and would be less likely to be removed from the link.Are they just throwing the tracking in our faces?

mattl · Accepted Answer

Can you give an example?I suspect sometimes the tracking code is multiple different tracking codes combined together.

jfdjkfdhjds · Answer

user mapping and cookie matching are the advertising industry terms you need to search.

Why do some companies use such long tracking links?

When I share a link on Facebook, the tracking code is sometimes longer than the URL itself! Why not just assign a single alphanumeric tracking code -- it's shorter, easier to copy, and would be less likely to be removed from the link.
Are they just throwing the tracking in our faces?

Can you give an example?
I suspect sometimes the tracking code is multiple different tracking codes combined together.

user mapping and cookie matching are the advertising industry terms you need to search.