[wp-hackers] Proposal: Add a Privacy Option: Anonymise Updates

Otto otto at ottodestruct.com
Wed Sep 26 20:41:46 GMT 2007


No, it's another useless option.

I support the idea of unifying the user agent sent by WP on all HTTP
requests. There's something in trac to that effect, I think it's a
good idea.

Of course, I also support running said user agent through a filter, to
allow modification by plugins.

I don't support adding any sort of tinfoil options by default though.
Now, I *would* support such an option if it actually enhanced privacy.
However, it does not. Your website is sending the request to another
website. That means it's sending information on the internet. That
means it's sending along it's IP address. And that means that tracing
the request back to the original site that it came from is a fairly
trivial exercise.

Whether your website tells who it is or not, it can still be traced
back. Even if you use a shared host, it can be worked out without too
much difficulty.

-Otto


On 9/26/07, Callum Macdonald <lists.automattic.com at callum-macdonald.com> wrote:
> I'd support a simple two-option approach if we add "User-Agent" as an
> option that can be edited from /wp-admin/options.php. It doesn't need to
> appear in any of the other screens, but it doesn't require a plugin to
> edit if a user wants to change it.
>
> Does that sound like a reasonable compromise? - Callum.
>
> Stephen Rider wrote:
> > "Aye" for a two-option version. Check for Updates/ Don't Check for
> > Updates.
> >
> > K.I.S.S.
> >
> > Put a couple hooks into it so that if somebody _really_ wants to do it
> > halfway, it can be done with a plugin. Just my 2 cents.
> >
> > Stephen
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sep 26, 2007, at 8:20 AM, Callum Macdonald wrote:
> >
> >> * Add an option to the Options > Privacy tab
> >> * Option name "Updates"
> >> * Option choice 1: "WordPress should check for updates automatically
> >> and send my blog url."
> >> * Option choice 2: "WordPress should check for updates automatically
> >> but *not* send my blog url."
> >> * Option choice 3: "WordPress should not check for updates."
> >> * Then the text: "For more on how this information is used, see the
> >> Privacy Policy" - link to the policy online.
> >>
> >> All those in favour say aye, etc... :)
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> >
> >
>
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