Mehbub Rashid, a web developer, recently spotted something unusual after searching for a security plugin from the WordPress dashboard. He instantly received an email recommending Jetpack Protect, in addition to already having the Jetpack plugin installed. This raises concerns about whether the Jetpack plugin tracks searches in the dashboard and how that data is being used.
Jetpack and Search Tracking: A Closer Look
Mehbub shared a screenshot of the email he received, where he was recommended a security plugin, interestingly aligned with his recent search query.
He also provided more information, including a screenshot of the email headers. The details confirmed that the message was sent from b.wordpress.com and signed by jetpack.com.
Further investigation led Mehbub to uncover evidence that Jetpack appears to monitor searches made within the wp-admin dashboard, forwarding this data to WordPress.com, which then triggers an automated marketing email.
Beyond tracking search queries in the dashboard, he also pointed out that Jetpack prioritizes its own products in the search results.
The Bigger Concern: What Happens If Other Plugins Do This Too?
If other plugins start following Jetpack’s practices, they could start using search data to promote their own products or even push affiliate deals. This can possibly lead to marketing emails and spam and potential data misuse.
Community Response
Wil Brown posted on X stating this as an “Unethical plugin behaviour..”
Sir Rogue of the Taverns posted as follows.
Updated to add on March 13, 2025
In light of ongoing community discussions about Jetpack’s search behavior, we reached out to Automattic for further clarification. We wanted to understand how search queries were being used and whether they played a role in triggering marketing emails.
Megan Fox from Automattic responded with an important clarification:
The email Mehbub received was not triggered by their search activity but by a plugin installation. Additionally, search queries are not used to send marketing emails.
Jetpack’s feature suggestions, introduced in 2019, were designed to display existing Jetpack features instead of installing separate plugins. When a user searches for a keyword matching an existing Jetpack feature, Jetpack displays a card suggesting the existing Jetpack feature—provided the plugin is active and the site owner has accepted the Terms of Service.
While search queries were saved with active user consent to help prioritize feature development, they were never used for marketing purposes.
Following recent discussions, Automattic reviewed the feature’s relevance and found that few users engage with these suggestions. As a result, they have decided to remove the feature suggestions and stop tracking search queries in Jetpack version 14.5, set for release in early April.
For those interested in the history of this feature, Megan also referenced past coverage from 2019 and a blog post discussing community feedback.