Lately we have been working on creating the ability to authenticate certain social networks with the Social Warfare plugin. Right now, this only includes Facebook, but soon we hope to integrate several others. As such, we want to write this article that allows you to know exactly for what purposes we use those authentications.
First and foremost, we want to address the question of personal data. When authenticated and connected to an API, certain pieces of personal data can be seen by the connected software if it requests it. This includes things like your name, email address, and possibly other information as well. Warfare Plugins does not and will not access any of that personal information.
Definition: The term API refers to an Application Programming Interface. That fancy term simply means that the Social Warfare plugin can access Facebook’s system and access specific pieces of information from Facebook’s database.
Let me state this as clearly as possible: Social Warfare does not collect any personal information about you from the APIs. None whatsoever. We respect your personal privacy and abhor many of the data mining practices of major corporations. As such, we repeat, Social Warfare does not collect any personal information about you from the APIs.
The only information collected during the authentication process is a series of unique access tokens that allow our software to contact the APIs on your behalf. These access tokens are stored in the database of your WordPress website. They are not sent to us or stored in our databases.
Once these access tokens are obtained from the authentication, they are used to contact the API and collect information that is used to enhance the functionality of the Social Warfare plugin. Here is an exhaustive list of every single piece of information that the Social Warfare plugin collects on your behalf.
- Facebook authentication is used to collect share count numbers for the URL’s on your website. These numbers are displayed on the buttons.
Right now, this is the only use we have for that authentication. And again, even that information is stored on your server, not ours.
We have absolutely no interest in taking any personal data from our users. We will never collect personal data from our users other than what is required by law or by the IRS (such as your billing information at checkout). Additionally, any information that we do collect will never be shared with third parties.