[theme-reviewers] tracking code in themes

[Emil Uzelac]

this was from my phone...sorry warez got misplaced somehow to the end ...

On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 4:41 PM, Emil Uzelac <emil at themeid.com> wrote:

> Back in late 2009 I contracted for commercial Theme site where they had
> two forms of tracking, one was via Google Analytics and second one hidden
> to check if the Theme was purchased or downloaded from "" sites. In matter
> of months they went from "all star" to "where are the customers" type of
> thing. Long story short users don't like to be tracked one way or another
> and honestly I don't blame them at all. Permission or not "touching things
> that should not be touched" are never good idea.
>
> If one wants to track and get the general ideas where the Themes go,
> simply use your very own GA. There are many things you can do with
> Analytics beyond how many visitors one have on monthly basis. Not 100%
> accurate, but it does get close.
>
> This is from my marketing perspective. Privacy is issue everywhere
> nowadays and once this leaks to the public, your sales will go down to
> toilet, please believe me on this.
>
> Imagine this title on a popular WP News sites "*Example Theme Site Now
> Tracks User's Behavio*r". warez
>
> Cheers,
> Emil
>
> On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 3:48 PM, Bruce Wampler <weavertheme at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> As the author of a popular WordPress theme, I would like to add my strong
>> agreement with the opt-in only policy for trackers such as PressTrends.
>>
>> I find Trent Lapinski's arguments for the harmlessness of opt-out
>> tracking self-serving and disingenuous. Anyone with the least bit of
>> understanding of the difference between opt-in and opt-out, and how that
>> affects user privacy, would never argue for allowing any kind of automatic
>> or opt-out tracking of any kind in any repository based WordPress theme. It
>> is simply the wrong thing to do.
>>
>> Maybe PressTrends isn't any different in concept or privacy issues than
>> Google's tracking code, or even WP stats, but both of those are opt-in -
>> they don't happen unless the web admin actively adds them.
>>
>> Personally, I believe any sort of tracking should require permission from
>> the visitor to the site - but that is a much larger battle.
>>
>> Bruce Wampler
>>
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>>
>>
>
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