[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #46084: Sunset Gravatar as the default option for profile image

[WordPress Trac]

#46084: Sunset Gravatar as the default option for profile image
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 Reporter:  mor10        |      Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement  |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal       |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  General      |    Version:  trunk
 Severity:  normal       |   Keywords:
  Focuses:               |
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 To add a user profile photo to a WordPress site without adding a plugin,
 the user has to create a Gravatar. Creating a Gravatar requires a
 WordPress.com account. This requires the user of a self-hosted WordPress
 site to have a WordPress.com account to use a core feature.

 Gravatar is a great idea and a great service. However, having a
 WordPress.com account should not be a prerequisite to use a core feature,
 especially something as central and expected as a user profile photo. In
 my opinion.

 Having Gravatar be the only core option for user profile pictures
 introduces several issues including (but not limited to):
 - Having to have a WordPress.com account.
 - No access to WordPress.com or Gravatar.com from intranets and systems
 not connected to the web or behind firewalls or geoblockers that block
 either domain.
 - Data collection and privacy concerns (real and/or imagined) around what
 it means to upload a photo to Gravatar.com / create an account on
 WordPress.com. (see #45384 as example)

 == Proposal
 - Introduce a core option to use profile photo from media library.
 - Sunset Gravatar as core option. Offer Gravatar as plugin.
 - Introduce Gravatar-type service not tied to WordPress.com (ideally
 hosted by WordPress.org or similar).

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/46084>
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