WordPress 2.3 is officially released yesterday and simultaneously a new controversy started brewing as well.
New Feature:
WordPress 2.3 introduces a new feature called “update notification”.
What it does?
Whenever you [mostly the administrator of the blog] login to your WordPress installation, It checks the version of WordPress and any plugins you installed and notifies you if there are new versions of them.
Sounds Good. How is it achieved?
Your WordPress installation sends the data about your website, to a remote server [WordPress.org] and receives the information from that Server and notifies you if there are new versions.
Cool. What is the problem with this?
The Problem is with the data that is being sent. It is sending personally identifiable information such as your website’s URL, your hosting server’s capabilities, your host’s IP address, the list of plugins you are using and their versions to WordPress.org.
How would they use this information?
When asked, they do not even know what is the use of knowing your website’s URL but their response was “they will find some use for it in the future“.
We will have an option to turn this feature off. right?
No. There wont be any option that you can go and uncheck. You should grab the following two plugins and install them, according to the same discussion.
1.http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/disable-wordpress-core-update/
2.http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/disable-wordpress-plugin-updates/.
Ok. at least there are some options for those who know how to upload new plugins and install them.
but how about those innocent people who does not know how to install these two plugins?
Those websites will send that information to WordPress.Org and they will use it according to their privacy policy.
Thats all I have for now and if I come to know more things, I will update this post.
