"Why do I see direct referrer values and campaign information?"

referrer information and UTM-style campaign data run in parallel lines. referrer is a server-side value, and UTM-style campaign values are URL-parameter-based, front-end values.

Browsers that use privacy settings or extensions generally hide referrer information. Links with rel="noreferrer" attributes will also omit referrer information. As such, when you see a direct referrer value and campaign information, treat the campaign information as authoritative.

We considered overwriting referrer data when campaign source information is available. However, there are ethical and practical arguments to be made for preserving the actual referrer information. Confection's mission involves presenting information as accurately as possible. A customer may want to calculate the number of privacy-focused users visiting his/her site. A customer might also want to audit a particular campaign.

For these and other mission-focused, usage-based reasons, we present referrer values exactly as we detect them.

To learn more about the way Confection handles UTM campaign values, see this documentation.