[theme-reviewers] tracking code in themes

[Chip Bennett]

Done :)

On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 2:41 PM, Emil Uzelac <emil at themeid.com> wrote:

> Something like this maybe? Note: API calls, e.g. Google Libraries, are
> acceptable.
> http://code.google.com/apis/libraries/
>
> On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 2:32 PM, Chip Bennett <chip at chipbennett.net> wrote:
>
>> That was attempted to be covered by:
>>
>> Note: API calls, e.g. GoogleFonts, are acceptable.
>>
>>
>> Any wordsmithing/improvement needed? The intent is NOT to prevent
>> legitimate calls to third-party resources.
>>
>> Chip
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 2:30 PM, Emil Uzelac <emil at themeid.com> wrote:
>>
>>> So no more Google or MS JS libs either correct?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 2:17 PM, Chip Bennett <chip at chipbennett.net>wrote:
>>>
>>>> Roughed-in Privacy guidelines:
>>>> http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Review#Privacy
>>>>
>>>> These privacy guidelines are adapted from the Plugin guidelines
>>>> regarding "phoning home". Please comment so we can revise/improve, as
>>>> necessary.
>>>>
>>>> I've renamed "Theme Settings and Data Security" as "Security and
>>>> Privacy", with "Theme Settings and Data Security" and "Privacy" being
>>>> sub-sections under this guideline.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Chip
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 1:53 PM, Chip Bennett <chip at chipbennett.net>wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 1:38 PM, Trent Lapinski <trent at cyberchimps.com>wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Woh.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It is truly a shame you guys have already made the decision to
>>>>>> restrict PressTrends use from WordPress.org without any discussion, or
>>>>>> reason.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Nothing is being restricted. You are free to use PressTrends in your
>>>>> WPORG repository-hosted Theme. We're merely stipulating that you have to
>>>>> *disclose* to end users that the Theme is using this service, and that you
>>>>> have to allow end users to *opt-in* to use of this service.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There is absolutely nothing wrong with knowing how many people are
>>>>>> using your themes, and what version numbers they are using. In fact, I wish
>>>>>> WordPress.org itself provided this kind of data publicly.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I refer you to Free Software philosophy<http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html>
>>>>>  [*emphasis *added]:
>>>>>
>>>>> The freedom to run the program means the freedom for any kind of
>>>>> person or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any
>>>>> kind of overall job and purpose, *without being required to
>>>>> communicate about it with the developer or any other specific entity*.
>>>>> In this freedom, *it is the user's purpose that matters, not the
>>>>> developer's purpose*; you as a user are free to run the program for
>>>>> your purposes, and if you distribute it to someone else, she is then free
>>>>> to run it for her purposes, but *you are not entitled to impose your
>>>>> purposes on her*.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Simply put: you, as a developer, do not have the right to this
>>>>> information without the user's informed consent.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There is absolutely no private information that is garnered from
>>>>>> PressTrends.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> From the PressTrends privacy policy <http://presstrends.io/privacy>:
>>>>>
>>>>> Themes containing the PressTrends tracking code track the following
>>>>> information only: number of posts published, number of comments, blog name,
>>>>> theme version, site url, and the number of plugins.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Those data, in that combination, ARE potentially personally
>>>>> identifiable.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This isn't a privacy issue, and the metrics it does gather are
>>>>>> extremely valuable to theme developers.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Whether such data constitute a privacy concern is a matter for each
>>>>> end user to decide for him/herself.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The only thing PressTrends "tracks" is theme activations of what
>>>>>> theme version number of the theme is being activated, the average number of
>>>>>> posts, comments, and plugins, and abandonment rates telling you if people
>>>>>> have stopped using the theme after 30-days.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I have absolutely no problem disclosing this better in our
>>>>>> documentation, but to make it an option that has to be enabled makes the
>>>>>> data it does gather pretty much useless.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Useless to whom: the end user, or the developer? If the service is
>>>>> useful to the end user, then make the usefulness argument to end users. If
>>>>> the service is *not* useful to the end user, then it absolutely should not
>>>>> be enabled by default.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It enables us to see if our users are upgrading their themes to the
>>>>>> latest versions, and gives us insight into those who stop using our themes.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Having to turn PressTrends off by default and then asking users to
>>>>>> enable it as a theme option makes the data useless because you will only
>>>>>> get activation numbers from people who enable the theme option which means
>>>>>> they are already using and configuring your theme.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If this is truly a requirement, this should be in the theme review
>>>>>> guidelines.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Certainly. I will copy the similar policy wording from the Plugin
>>>>> repository <http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/about/guidelines/>(see #7: No "phoning home"), and find the appropriate place for it in the
>>>>> Theme guidelines.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>
>>>>> Chip
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>
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