Jetpack Tracks Dashboard Searches to Send Targeted Marketing Emails—What You Need to Know

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.

We have reached out to Jetpack for clarification and will update the article once we receive a response.