We just got an email in from the good people at WordPress.com, run by Automattic, who among other things nurture the software that we love from WordPress.org. As we allow our users to connect to JetPack services through a WordPress.com account, we thought we’d let you know. Some users may connect through an OurLocality account rather than their own, so will not have received any notification, which goes something like:
We want to give you more information about how we collect and use personal information — in a more organized and readable format. You are receiving this email because you have a WordPress.com account [or use JetPack via a WordPress.com account].
As part of our commitment to privacy and transparency, we’re updating our Privacy Policy.
We’ve taken a close look and so far it all looks good to us, based as it is on:- data minimalism, good account control, strict disclosure, and security.
See their blog post for a few more links and back story:
In their email they continue:
Our updated Privacy Policy is here. Our blog post explaining the changes in more detail is here and we put together a FAQ for you about the policy here.
You don’t need to take any action. Our new Privacy Policy will go into effect on January 3, 2018, and by continuing to use our services on or after January 3, 2018 you’ll be consenting to the new Privacy Policy.
Thank you!
Your Friends at Automattic
If for any reason you’re NOT happy, you can always disconnect your site from WordPress.Com and then delete your WordPress account.
Bear in mind though that we have tended to go for policy alignment (this is increasingly the way of the world) when it comes to T&Cs, including privacy, so you may want to consider closing your account with us too. In this case we’ll ease the process as far as we can, including guiding you through the simple site export process, should you wish to brave it alone.
The change is stimulated by Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (aka GDPR), a new and far-reaching privacy regulation that takes effect in May 2018.
Insofar as we read the changes, WordPress.com are embracing the new regulations as a way of strengthening trust with their users and so will we.
We see no reason not to recommend going along with it. But if anyone out there knows better, we’d be interested to know, as the technicalities are wide and interesting for those that follow these things. Any feedback will help us shape our own updated policies, which will need to be in place before May 2018.
