WordPress update 4.9.6 GDPR and maintenance release, and 95 other bugs is a new WordPress update has been released as version 4.9.6 on May 17, 2018. This update is WordPress’ official response to GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
What is in this WordPress Update 4.9.6 GDPR and Maintenance Release?
As WordPress.org states:
Privacy
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes effect on May 25. The GDPR requires companies and site owners to be transparent about how they collect, use, and share personal data. It also gives individuals more access and choice when it comes to how their own personal data is collected, used, and shared.
It’s important to understand that while the GDPR is a European regulation, its requirements apply to all sites and online businesses that collect, store, and process personal data about EU residents no matter where the business is located.
You can learn more about the GDPR from the European Commission’s Data Protection page.
We’re committed to supporting site owners around the world in their work to comply with this important law. As part of that effort, we’ve added a number of new privacy features in this release.
Comments
Logged-out commenters will be given a choice on whether their name, email address, and website are saved in a cookie on their browser.
Privacy Policy Page
Site owners can now designate a privacy policy page. This page will be shown on your login and registration pages. You should manually add a link to your policy to every page on your website. If you have a footer menu, that’s a great place to include your privacy policy.
In addition, we’ve created a guide that includes insights from WordPress and participating plugins on how they handle personal data. These insights can be copied and pasted into your site’s privacy policy to help you get started.
If you maintain a plugin that collects data, we recommend including that information in WordPress’ privacy policy guide. Learn more in our Privacy section of the Plugin Handbook.
Data Handling
Data Export
Site owners can export a ZIP file containing a user’s personal data, using data gathered by WordPress and participating plugins.
Data Erasure
Site owners can erase a user’s personal data, including data collected by participating plugins.
Howdy,
A request has been made to perform the following action on your account:
Export Personal Data
To confirm this, please click on the following link:http://.wordpress.org/wp-login.php?action=confirmaction…
You can safely ignore and delete this email if you do not want to take this action.
This email has been sent to you@example.com.
Regards,Your friends at WordPress http://wordpress.org
Site owners have a new email-based method that they can use to confirm personal data requests. This request confirmation tool works for both export and erasure requests, and for both registered users and commenters.
Updates and Testing
Whenever a new WordPress update is released, Win At Web will evaluate the update.
Then we will fully test and make sure that it will not break your site before we role out the update to your site.
We take pride in providing top-notch server support.
Your website security and up-time is of utmost importance to us because we care about your success.
The update mainly focuses on the security vulnerability, but it also includes 95 bug fixes as well.
That makes this WordPress Update 4.9.6 GDPR and Maintenance Release extremely important especially when it comes to data protection.
95 Bug Fixes
In addition to the security issue above, WordPress 4.9.6 contains 95 bug fixes.
Administration
- #43820 – Add “Mine” filter for attachments similarly to posts and comments
Bundled Theme
- #43915 – Bundled Themes: Bump version number and update changelog in all themes for 4.9.6 release
Customize
- #43945 – Missing closing button tag in ‘Live Preview’ button
General
- #43583 – Introduce new PHP cross-version compat function `is_countable()`
- #43619 – Introduce new PHP cross-version compat function `is_iterable()`
Login and Registration
Media
- #42919 – Unable to upload files with the AAC extension
Plugins
- #43650 – Add Requires PHP Version to Plugin – View Details
Posts, Post Types
- #43739 – Include ‘viewable’ attribute on Post Type resource for ‘edit’ context
Privacy
- #43873 – Relocate ‘Privacy / Export / Erasure’ pages into more appropriate menus
- #43931 – Use associative array instead of numeric for exporters and erasers
- #43954 – Showing the privacy policy admin notice on all screens is intrusive
- #44055 – Don’t show notice to the privacy policy guide when user cannot view the guide
- #44057 – It’s not obvious what to do if menu bubble for policy update appears
- #44091 – Rename exports folder to avoid deleting other files
- #43435 – Add settings screen for creating a privacy policy
- #43436 – Add opt-in for commenter cookies
- #43440 – Add personal data from comments to personal data export
- #43442 – Add tools for anonymizing of commenters
- #43443 – Add a method for confirmation of requests for deleting or anonymizing of personal data
- #43473 – Add default text for a privacy policy
- #43481 – Add tabs and placeholders to privacy tools page in wp-admin
- #43491 – Automatically create a Privacy Policy page when installing WordPress
- #43545 – Helper functions: Anonymizing data in a standardized way
- #43547 – Add personal data from usermeta/userdata to personal data export
- #43551 – Add a means to package personal data into a file
- #43620 – Privacy Policy page design
- #43637 – Add filters and ajax support for personal data erasure
- #43715 – Add Privacy Policy link to bundled theme footers
- #43721 – Adding links to imprint and privacy policy pages on WP login screens
- #43846 – Fix Count Styling on Personal Data Request Tables Post Status Links
- #43850 – Add privacy policy URL template tags
- #43852 – Fix spacing on responsive for Use This Page button in Privacy Tools
- #43883 – Add a user’s attachments to the personal data export file
- #43894 – Rename page / menu ‘Privacy Tools’ to ‘Privacy Policy Page’
- #43905 – Personal data export link does not work
- #43908 – Export keeps generating new .zip files on Windows installations
- #43909 – Improve styling on personal data tables
- #43911 – Add mailto into Export/Erasure tables
- #43913 – On sending the personal data export email, the request should be marked COMPLETED
- #43919 – Disable personal data export and personal data erasure for multisite (for now)
- #43920 – Use the terms erase / erasure instead of remove / removal for personal data
- #43922 – Data removal/erasure requests don’t get marked as “Completed” after erasure happens
- #43925 – Inconsistencies in GDPR strings
- #43926 – Improve flow for privacy.php
- #43929 – Privacy pages: buttons should be buttons and other coding standards
- #43934 – Missing doc for the user_request_key_expiration filter
- #43935 – Limit Privacy Policy screen to Super Admins in Multisite
- #43939 – Fix spelling mistake – gdpr
- #43940 – Privacy Policy Settings: Don’t show page selector if you don’t have any pages
- #43942 – Add pointers informing users of the new privacy pages
- #43951 – Typos in `WP_Privacy_Policy_Content::get_default_content()`
- #43953 – Seeing the `privacy policy text has changed` notice on fresh installs is confusing
- #43961 – Privacy Policy popup covers collapsed admin menu
- #43964 – “Email Data” button text – Make it more clear that an export link is sent, not the whole data?
- #43965 – GDPR Privacy Notes Don’t Play Nice with Gutenberg
- #43966 – Prioritize the User group in Personal Data Exports to right below the About group
- #43968 – Add Request Type into Confirmation Email Subject for GDPR
- #43970 – Add request type to the confirmation confirmation page – GDPR
- #43973 – Email user once removal request completed – GDPR
- #43980 – Consider outputting the suggested privacy policy content to a new page insted of a postbox
- #44015 – Add `id` attribute to each row of privacy post list tables
- #44016 – user_request_action_email_content filter hook documentation inaccurate
- #44026 – Export and Erase Personal Data tables misaligned under 782px
- #44031 – Add personal data export request ID to the wp_privacy_personal_data_export_file_created hook
- #44040 – Potential PHP notice in `wp_ajax_wp_privacy_erase_personal_data()`
- #44045 – GDPR WP Pointer dismiss link can be unreachable
- #44046 – GDPR Privacy Policy Link in wp-login.php page can overflow other links
- #44048 – Privacy: exclude the wrapper from the default policy content
- #44050 – Privacy: Abandoned heading in `WP_Privacy_Policy_Content::get_default_content()`
- #44054 – Privacy: Escape the comment link output in the wp_comments_personal_data_exporter() function.
- #44056 – Fix markup for table of contents on privacy policy guide
- #44062 – Don’t show privacy feature pointer to new users
- #44063 – Privacy policy guide: do not remove the “Suggested text has changed” bubble on saving the policy page
- #44064 – Define $title and $parent_file in privacy.php
- #44065 – Remove is-dismissible class from notice when privacy info has changed
- #44075 – GDPR inline documentation improvements
- #44076 – Add `wp_page_for_privacy_policy` to `populate_options()`
- #44079 – Require `manage_privacy_options` capability to edit the privacy policy page
- #44092 – Export/Erase tools: CSS issues with `next_steps` buttons with some locales
- #44093 – Proposed Adjustment to Privacy Settings buttons
Query
- #43375 – Incorrect ‘old_slug_redirect_post_id’ filter docs
Themes
- #43374 – PHP 7.2 Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /wp-includes/theme.php on line 356
- #43872 – Add page template filter for all post types
TinyMCE
- #43862 – TinyMCE: Update to 4.7.11
- #43969 – Custom themes will not work in TinyMCE 4.7
- #43984 – Customize: JavaScript error when opening Text widget
Upgrade/Install
- #43952 – Database error inserting cron job on fresh install
Users
- #42202 – REST API: no equivalent for `who=authors` to display potential authors
Conclusion
If you are having any issues with the WordPress Update 4.9.6 GDPR and Maintenance Release, please Contact Us immediately and we will resolve the problem.