Your Online Privacy
I value my online privacy, I don't like it when websites track my behavior or browsing pattern, which is why I use a privacy-focused browser that blocks ads and trackers by default. So now that I'm building my own blog, I'm faced with a decision. Do I install google analytics and track my visitors? Or do I stick with my values and create the most privacy-friendly blog ever?
To be honest, it wasn't a particularly difficult decision. Since I'm using WordPress, the hard part is in understanding what WordPress and all its plugins are doing. For example, I don't actually know whether this blog uses cookies or not, or how it's being used. Fortunately, a quick search online tells me that yes, WordPress does use cookies, but it's mainly for logged in users and commenters.
Other than that, I've made sure that there are no ads, no trackers, and no visitor statistics on this blog! The only thing WordPress tracks are the IP address of anyone who leaves a comment, uses the contact form, or tries to log into the admin account, which is reasonable since it's mostly to fight against spam and prevent illicit login attempts. But don't take my word for it, verify it yourself with this cool privacy inspector tool called Blacklight. It lets you scan websites and tells you just how privacy-friendly/hostile they are.
Some of the plugins I have installed may or may not collect additional data as well, like my Email Subscribers plugin. By the way, if you want to subscribe to this blog via email, just enter your email in the sidebar (or footer, if you're on mobile) and follow the instructions. I've also written this incredibly short privacy policy for anyone who cares about this type of stuff so do check it out if you're interested.