Zerostatic has always been committed to building fast, resilient, privacy friendly websites. Our mission has always been to contribute to a web that is authentic and tranquil, free from the clutter of intrusive ads and data-hungry apps. Today, we are excited to share a major milestone in our journey – the Privacy Update.
From day one, we’ve strived to keep our themes free from tracking scripts, third-party libraries, and advertising snippets. Of course, there were a few exceptions – optional addons like Google Analytics, Google Fonts, Disqus comments, etc. We’ve listened to your feedback and are thrilled to present this comprehensive update that takes our commitment to user privacy to a whole new level.
Introducing the Privacy Update: A Deep Dive
Here’s a rundown of the significant changes we’ve implemented across the board. This update effects all Hugo & Jekyll premium themes.
Privacy-Focused Analytics
Say hello to Plausible and Umami, our new privacy-friendly analytics providers. We understand the importance of website analytics without compromising your privacy. With these alternatives, you can gather insightful data without sacrificing your users’ anonymity.
Self-Hosted Google Fonts
In the spirit of independence, we’ve enabled self-hosted Google Fonts by default. This means you get the aesthetic appeal without relying on external servers, enhancing both speed and becoming GDPR compliant.
Cookie Banner
Introducing Cookieconsent, a lightweight, customizable, GDPR-compliant cookie consent solution written in vanilla JS. We believe in transparency, and this banner ensures that your users are aware of and comfortable with the cookies used on your site.
Privacy-Friendly Comments
We’ve integrated Commento as our new comments provider. It’s privacy-friendly and aligns with our commitment to user data protection. Engage with your audience without compromising their privacy.
Disqus Comments On-Demand
To prevent unnecessary tracking, Disqus comments will only load when a user explicitly goes to leave a comment. This strategic move protects users from third-party cookie installations and data tracking on most page visits.
Enhanced Google Tag Manager and Analytics 4 Support
For those who rely on Google Tag Manager and Analytics 4, our update ensures improved compatibility and support.
YouTube No-Cookie Embed
Did you know about YouTube’s no-cookie embed code? We’ve implemented it to embed videos without compromising user privacy. A small detail, but one that makes a big difference.
Mailchimp Embed Revamp
We’ve bid farewell to external JavaScript in Mailchimp embeds, eliminating jQuery and third-party tracking. Your email integration is now more secure and streamlined.
Dedicated Default Privacy Policy Page
Transparency is paramount. To make it easier for you, we’ve written a dedicated default privacy policy page. Feel free to customize it to align with your specific practices.
In conclusion, the Privacy Update is a testament to our unwavering commitment to building a web that respects user privacy. We’ve scrutinized every line of code, ensuring that our themes prioritize your users’ data security. Thank you for being part of the Zerostatic journey, and here’s to many more years of building a better, calmer internet together.
