Note: This blog refers to WordPressDOTCOM which is their free website hosting platform. WordPress dot org remains free and open source and is not included in this. I’ll be blogging more about this, I’m sure, as it’s a topic I’ve been trumpeting for nearly twenty years.
The bottom line? Terms of Service matter. We all click “accept” and when we receive notices that the terms of service are changing we all delete those because whatever, it won’t affect us right? WRONG. Automattic, the parent company of Tumblr and WordPress(dot com), which also owns tools like WooCommerce, Jetpack, and probably more, has stepped into the muck of AI and done so in a pretty gross way. Like worse than stepping into cold cat puke with bare feet.
Internal documents have revealed that not only is Automattic in talks with two different companies to sell user data for AI training. Except, they’ve already released data, including personal data, to these companies, though they claim that users will be able to opt out. Of course, while the companies are reported to be the “better” companies for AI training, the system will still have to honor that and there’s no guarantee it will.
There are a lot of articles out there that talk about the business implications of this and how it has blindsided users. What I’d like to address here, is to bring to light something that I feel like too many authors ignore.
Again, let me reiterate, if you have a self-hosted WordPress blog (which is what I do and what I offer through Epona Author Solutions), is is not affected. And I promise you, i will NEVER sell your data for anything.
I hear authors who use Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly, along with possibly other website builders who say that they will never be affected by these things. However, let’s look at the Terms of Service for a few of these.
Squarespace
“When you provide User Content via the Services, you grant Squarespace (including our third party hosting providers acting on our behalf) a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable, transferable right and license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works of (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that User Content works better with the Services), communicate, publish, publicly display, publicly perform and distribute User Content for the limited purposes of allowing us to provide, improve, promote and protect the Services.” (From Squarespace TOS)
Now they’re going to tell you that this is so they can display your content on their services. I get that. And some of it makes sense. But “create derivative works”? They don’t need that because they should be displaying your content as you wrote it.
Note the word “sublicensable” in there. You’re also giving them permission to sell your data to AI farms, if they haven’t already.
Wix and Weebly have similar clauses in their TOS.
Now the question is, can you backup your Squarespace website, download it, and take it to another provider whole cloth/as is without any conversion? NOPE. So if you make a website at one of these places, you’re stuck.
A lot of people think I’m just an old, crazy Gen-X’er who loves technology and shaking my cane at people telling them to “get off my data center” for preaching these things. I’m told it will never happen. These companies will never change. (Honestly, I’m especially concerned about erotic romance/erotica authors in this era. I think they, especially, should be self-hosted.) I am a huge fan of open source software, warts and all that some of it has.
Do you have questions about a wordpress self-hosted website or how this might affect you? Let’s talk. Leave a comment or use my contact page.
