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Why is referrer blank or false for a chat?  Why is the referrer truncated to just the top-level domain?!

1185 views   |   Last updated on Feb 28, 2022   

 

Empty referrers

Unfortunately, we can't consistently capture referring URL from patrons using pop-up widgets in IE11.  Other than that, there might be some settings a patron could use in their browser, or browser extensions to prevent tracking, that would prevent our system from capturing that data.  And of course, if the guest is using text messaging ("twilio" protocol), then they will not have a referring URL.

Truncated referrer (just the top-level domain)

If you are seeing referrers for the top-level domain but you definitely do not have chat implemented there, the most likely cause is a recent Chrome change.  The change is related to cross-domain situations such as where you have implemented a libraryh3lp.com chat box on your page at www.myschool.edu in a subdirectory.  
 
Starting with Chrome 85, the default for transmitting the referring URL in cross-domain situations became "strict-origin-when-cross-domain" instead of "no-referrer-when-downgrade". The same thing happened with Firefox 87. What this means in practical terms is that the referring URL shows only the top-level domain (https://www.myschool.edu) and does not include the path to the particular web page where the chat actually started (e.g. https://www.myschool.edu/libraries/).
 
The good news is that the default only kicks in if the web server serving the web page does not specify a Referrer-Policy. So if the IT folks responsible for the web server can set an explicit Referrer-Policy of "no-referrer-when-downgrade" then all will be as desired in terms of capturing referring URLs.

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