Collection of user information

Please, send me a mail from the admin email of this website to validate your request.

Since the informations will be neutralized you will need to give all those informations when you got trouble.

Send one where?

← Just click on my nickname here
then click on “Email me” ??

Done. Please let me know when it’s sorted.

Fun how it takes 6 days to get data removed that I never wanted stored! Not storing it in the first place would cause less hassle…

And at no point during this have I seen your Privacy Policy – so I’ll just assume you have no interest in Privacy.

This feature should be removed completely, because it doesn’t help people at all. It only helps YOU when they ask you for support. And having made my own plugins that I actively support, I see no reason for this feature’s existance except to maliciously harvest user information without care or consent.

Done

Fun that the evident things (email me to give me a proof you really own those informations) takes 6 days to be done.

You must know that you are the very first to ask… its your right, but you must know that retrieving those informations are useful to thousand people around since they just have to give me the ID to let me debug things fast. Since I am the only one to have an access to the data, people can give their ID on a public forum with no fear to get trouble on any ways.

You did not saw any privacy policy, so I assumes you don’t know how to read French and how to use an on-line translation service… Here is a digest :
– no one can access to those data, in any way
– I do not send emails
– I reset the ID database about every 4-6 month

If you see no reason to retrieve those informations, just ask, because your thoughts are wrong. Not all people are malicious…

To make it short, I’ll just say that some people just don’t know how to describe a problem or give useful informations, and don’t want to give their website url on a public forum. Some people don’t even know which version of WP, of the plugin, even the name and website of their theme. Sometimes people are selling the plugin (yep thats occurs) and doing so, violates the license. Sometimes people are asking for help and don’t answers on the forum, and sometime I need to contact them to get informations on a particular plugin behavior. Sometimes people are donating, and says that they need assistance, but don’t give me their website url… there are tons of good reasons to do so…

Jeff,

You were the one that delayed this. I don’t have time to be messing around looking up your email address, or searching for your French Privacy Policy. Neither do I have time to be messing around getting information removed from your server that you took without permissions.

It may make it easier for some people. But that is besides the point, you are storing information on EVERY user of your plugin. Not just those that need support. You are keeping some data for no point whatsoever, in the view that they ‘might’ some day ask for support.

In fact, the way you collect this information is illegal in most countries and violates most Data Protection laws. Collecting data (and personally identifiable information at that because you take the email address) without consent.

I could steal my friends DVD collection without asking and sit at home watching them. He doesn’t watch them that often – he can just ask me for them back when he wants right? It makes it easier for him because he won’t have to spend 10 minutes looking for that “Harry Potter Order of the Phoenix” DVD I want to borrow – I will already have them all on my shelf. In the same way, you steal everyone’s information with the pretense that it makes it easier for them. Well here’s an idea. Make it easier for them WITHOUT stealing everyone’s information.

I have looked through this forum. It has been said before that you can easily provide a link that says, “If you want support – click here”. What does this link do? It opens an email pre-filled in with the blog information you need.
Another option – you have a URL to a website with a support form that sends you an email. This support form gets pre filled with the data.

Or even better, do what you do now, but ASK FOR CONSENT. Have it say, click here to send us information about your blog that will help us provide support. If somebody needs support – they click it and give you the ID – job done.

Regarding your “digest” of your privacy policy – it does not suffice. It is not even mentioned in your plugin so I have no idea what hat you’ve pulled this out of. Why do you keep the data? What data do you keep? In what country is it stored? These are still unanswered. And if people don’t like giving their website URL on a public forum; I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t like sending it to a random stranger – because that’s essentially what is happening anyway. They may as well post it in public. There is absolutely no guarantee your server is secure, except to take your word for it. Your statement, “nobody can access your data in any way” is just your word – and through my experience penetrating networks for a living and I can tell you now, most networks are ridiculously insecure, because they slack on security thinking nobody can get through their firewall. Regardless, if you take information without consent – I personally wouldn’t trust you with anything.

I am not denying that your “feature” makes it easier for people to get support. I’m stating the fact that your methods are malicious and there are far better ways to do this that offer far better respect to people’s information. People deserve better.

Kind Regards,

Common Sense.

TLDR

That’s too bad. I offered a constructive feature request to make you a more respectful developer. Guess I can’t help someone who doesn’t want help.

Good luck in your future endeavours.

Everything you can advise me is planned, all I need is time. And I’m a respectful developer, even f you don’t think I am.