Automattic Selling WordPress.com User Data to AI Firms, Raising Privacy Worries
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WordPress is a free, open-source content management system that can be self-hosted anywhere. WordPress.com is a hosted WordPress site sold by Automattic.
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Automattic owns WordPress.com and is selling data from WordPress.com sites to AI modeling companies, causing privacy concerns.
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Self-hosted WordPress sites hosted outside of WordPress.com are likely not included in the data being sold.
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WordPress.com is more limited in customization compared to self-hosted sites, but offers support services for a fee.
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Some self-hosted sites use the Jetpack plugin which connects to Automattic's cloud, so there is a possibility that data could be accessed, though WordPress.org claims self-hosted sites are excluded.