[wp-hackers] Revisiting phone home and privacy

[Otto]

On Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 2:36 AM, Lynne Pope <lynne.pope at gmail.com> wrote:
> 2009/12/7 Mark Jaquith <markjaquith at gmail.com>
>> > Like most website operators, WordPress.org collects
>> non-personally-identifying information of the sort that web browsers ***and
>> servers*** typically make available
>>
>
> This does not cover data collected from software.

Actually, yes, it does. WordPress, the software, runs on servers.

> If any reasonable person

Reasonable people are rarely correct when it comes to legal interpretations.

>> > WordPress.org may collect statistics about the behavior of visitors to
>> its websites. For instance, WordPress.org may reveal how many downloads a
>> particular version got, or say which plugins are most popular based on
>> checks from ***api.wordpress.org, a web service used by WordPress
>> installations to check for new versions of WordPress and plugins***.
>
> "from its websites" - no mention of what is collected from other people's
> websites without their explicit permission.

It doesn't say "from its websites". It says "statistics about the
behavior of visitors to its websites". A WordPress installation
connecting to api.wordpress.org is a visitor to the wordpress.org
website just as much as you and your web browser are.

> At the moment, I'm just at a loss as to how to respond to the questions I am
> getting about this, especially when I agree with people who don't like this
> aspect of WordPress.

My response to them would be "Why are you so paranoid?" What
information, specifically, concerns you? I mean, a URL? Seriously?
Anybody who visits your site knows your URL. How is this is a serious
concern in any way other than theoretical?

-Otto