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Redirect Gravatar requests
All requests to load an avatar from gravatar.com are redirected to a local image, preventing Gravatar from potentially gathering data about your site …
The facts
- Rating
- 5★ from 1
- Active installs
- 100+
- Price
- Free
- Last updated
- 24 May 2022
- Added
- Feb 2019
- Requires WP
- 4.6
- Tested up to
- WP 6.0.14
- Requires PHP
- 5.6.20
- Downloads
- 4,246
Our analysis
AI-assistedRedirect Gravatar requests is a WordPress plugin designed to prevent the platform from sending requests to Gravatar.com when displaying avatars. It replaces Gravatar URLs with a locally stored 'mystery person' image, addressing concerns some users have regarding data privacy and GDPR compliance.
This plugin is suitable for users who want to disable Gravatar requests while still using avatars on their site. It alters the default avatar settings and removes Gravatar options from the Discussion settings, ensuring that only locally stored images are used.
Best for: This plugin is best for WordPress users concerned about data privacy who still want to use avatars.
What it does well
- ✓Prevents Gravatar requests for avatars
- ✓Replaces Gravatar with a locally stored image
- ✓Changes default avatar settings upon activation
- ✓Removes Gravatar options from Discussion settings
Where it falls short
- •Limited information on additional features
- •Directory score indicates potential issues
Verdict
Redirect Gravatar requests offers a straightforward solution for users looking to manage avatar requests. Its focus on privacy makes it a relevant choice for specific audiences.
From the developer
Bart Kuijper's own description of Redirect Gravatar requests, lightly tidied.
When displaying a post or comment with avatars enabled, WordPress will always check for the existence of a Gravatar. (Note: even the default avatars ‘mystery person’ and ‘blank’ are in fact Gravatars served from gravatar.com.) WordPress does this by sending an MD5 hash of every displayed post or comment author’s email address to gravatar.com. Even with many plugins that introduce locally stored default or user avatars, this check still happens. On top of that, some themes or plugins force (Gr)avatars to load even if the display of avatars is disabled completely in WordPress’ settings. If for whatever reason you do not wish for Gravatar to receive these requests (which some people have voiced GDPR concerns about), this plugin is for you.
The way it works is every time WordPress attempts to display an avatar, this plugin first checks if the image is about to be retrieved from gravatar.com. If it is, the URL is changed to the locally stored ‘mystery person’ image (included with this plugin). If the avatar has any other source, this plugin doesn’t interfere.
Gravatars are also removed from the Discussion page in Settings and replaced with the locally stored ‘mystery person’ image. Again, any non-Gravatar images are left alone.
Upon activation of this plugin, if a Gravatar is selected as the default avatar, that setting is changed to the locally stored ‘mystery person’ image. If any non-Gravatar avatar is selected, that setting isn’t changed.
Upon deactivation of this plugin, if the locally stored ‘mystery person’ image is selected as the default avatar, that setting is changed to the Gravatar logo. If any non-Gravatar avatar is selected, that setting isn’t changed.
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