"WordPress.com presents a high-risk privacy profile (score: 72/100) due to extensive collection of sensitive data including financial information and website credentials, aggressive third-party sharing with advertising networks, and cross-site behavioral tracking with weak opt-out mechanisms. Data retention is indefinite for most categories, Automattic disclaims responsibility for third-party handling despite sharing sensitive user information, and policy language regarding data protection is notably vague regarding timeframes and guarantees."
wordpress Privacy Concerns & Scorecard
Broad sharing with advertising networks and marketing vendors; data shared with Google, Facebook, Twitter, and other ad platforms for targeted advertising and behavioral profiling
Extensive collection of highly sensitive data types including financial information (credit card, bank account, tax ID), website credentials (SSH, FTP, SFTP passwords), biometric/device data, location information, and employment/background check data on job applicants
Opt-out mechanism for targeted advertising relies on cookies; deleted cookies require user to opt out again; no universal opt-out across all advertising partners
Limited transparency regarding third-party data handling; Automattic disclaims responsibility for third-party data practices despite sharing sensitive information
Data retained after account deletion for unspecified periods for legal compliance and legitimate business interests; no guaranteed deletion mechanism
No recommended actions at this time.
Automate your privacy
Connect your accounts to TrueTerms to automate these privacy actions and monitor policy changes.
Data Collection & Tracking
Personal Information Collected
Account creation, authentication, identity verification, and job application processing
Payment processing, billing, fraud prevention, and tax compliance
Enable website management and administration
Geolocation-based services, personalized advertising, and analytics
Analytics, cross-device tracking, targeted advertising, and service optimization
Analytics, personalization, targeted advertising, and service improvement
Customer support and service quality
Job application processing and candidate evaluation
Communication, authentication, social sharing, and networking
Account management, service delivery, and billing
Network security, analytics, and service operations
Mobile app functionality and personalized mobile experience
Authentication, analytics, advertising management, and payment processing
Usage tracking, analytics, targeted advertising, and preference management
Predictive analytics, targeted marketing, and user segmentation
Cross-Platform Tracking
WordPress.com tracks users across multiple websites and devices through cookies, pixel tags, and device identifiers when logged into WordPress/Jetpack accounts. The Firehose feature makes public user content available to third-party data subscribers. Tracking occurs via analytics providers and ad networks across partner sites to build behavioral profiles and enable cross-site ad targeting.
Tracking Methods:
Cookies
First-party and third-party cookies set to track user behavior, preferences, and online activity across websites; enable device recognition and profile building
Tracking Pixels
Invisible pixels embedded on web pages to track page visits, user interactions, and conversion events; shared with ad networks for behavioral targeting
Device Identifiers
Unique device identifiers used to recognize devices across websites and apps; enable device fingerprinting and cross-device profiling
Google Analytics Integration
Automatically collects and shares site visitor data with Google Analytics; data collected unless user opts out of internal analytics program
Ad Network Tracking
Google Ad Manager, Facebook Pixel, Twitter tracking, and other ad platform integrations track users across websites for behavioral targeting and ad measurement
Third-Party Plugins & Embeds
Third-party plugins, embeds, and extensions on WordPress.com sites set their own tracking technologies; WordPress.com disclaims responsibility for their tracking
Logged-In Tracking
Users logged into WordPress.com or Jetpack are tracked across partner websites and sites using Jetpack services for analytics and behavioral profiling
AI & Data Training
wordpress does not train AI on your content
Based on their public policy, your content is not used to train AI models.
How to Object
No opt-out available
This service does not currently provide a public way to opt out of AI training.
Why We Analyzed wordpress
TrueTerms automatically audits privacy policies and data practices using advanced machine learning to keep you informed and protected. This scorecard is based on the latest available public terms of service and privacy policies as of 2026.