(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Anyone finding their email being spammed by substack or/and Drop Site? Updated thanks to knowledgeable commenters. [1] ['Mettle Fatigue', 'Greg Dworkin', 'News Corpse'] Date: 2026-07-22 [] I don’t go to any social media except here, although I do subscribe to some small-circulation news sites … but there doesn’t seem to have been data-mining there until a few weeks ago, which makes it appear as if maybe wordpress, buddypress, or viafoura —i.o.w., DK6— is the source. See updates below: evidently Viafoura IS the, erm, culprit, in two respects, and DK as our publisher appears to hold at least one key to solution. mettle fatigue 1 of 2: Following up on information from commenter Alex, it turns out that this https://documentation.viafoura.com/docs/consent-management may be something site users should know about, if probably needing DK site management to deal with it for us. See also: https://documentation.viafoura.com/docs/consent-features Personally, as not a techgeek, I can’t make headsnortails of those webpages aside from recognizing that our data can be had. However, google AI had this to “say” when asked “Does Viafoura sell user data?” (Note: each par. had a link to Viafoura; if you replicate the search, you’ll probably get those links.) POINT 3 “Request Data Deletion” IN THE BELOW QUOTE SEEMS TO STATE THAT DK MGMT AS PUBLISHER CAN/SHOULD ACCEPT OUR REQUESTS FOR OUR IDENTITIES TO BE ERASED FROM VIAFOURA. No, Viafoura does not sell your personal user data in the traditional sense . Instead, it acts as an audience engagement and analytics platform that collects and uses first-party data (like your interests, comments, and activity) to help media brands and publishers personalize their own websites and build direct relationships with their audiences. [1, 2, 3, 4] Here is exactly how your data is handled: What They Track: Viafoura’s tools track your on-site activity, content affinities, comments, interactions, and interests. [1, 2] Viafoura’s tools track your on-site activity, content affinities, comments, interactions, and interests. [1, 2] How the Data Is Used: The company uses this information to offer you personalized news feeds, send you notifications, and keep online communities civil and safe. [1, 2] The company uses this information to offer you personalized news feeds, send you notifications, and keep online communities civil and safe. [1, 2] Who Sees Your Data: Your data is shared with the specific media website or brand you are engaging with to help them understand their audience. [1, 2] Your data is shared with the specific media website or brand you are engaging with to help them understand their audience. [1, 2] Data Sharing for Advertising: While Viafoura does not directly sell your information to data brokers, it allows publishers to build custom audience segments to improve targeted advertising on their own platforms. [1, 2] While Viafoura does not directly sell your information to data brokers, it allows publishers to build custom audience segments to improve targeted advertising on their own platforms. [1, 2] You can read more about their data practices and your privacy rights directly in the Viafoura Privacy Policy. opt-out of data tracking To opt-out of data tracking by Viafoura, you must manage your preferences through the SPECIFIC PUBLISHER OR MEDIA WEBSITE YOU ARE VISITING. [emphasis added] Because Viafoura is a third-party tool embedded into other websites, they do not offer a centralized, universal opt-out button on their own homepage. [1, 2] Use the following methods to stop them from tracking your activity: 1. Use the Website’s Consent Manager (CMP) Most news and media websites feature a pop-up banner or a link in the footer labeled “Cookie Settings,” “Your Privacy Choices,” or “Do Not Sell/Share My Info”. [1, 2, 3] Open the cookie preference center on the publisher’s site. Turn off “Performance,” “Analytics,” or “Functional” cookies. or cookies. Viafoura integrates directly with these consent systems. When you opt-out on the host site, Viafoura automatically stops tracking your analytics and customization while keeping the comments section readable. [1, 2, 3] 2. Block Third-Party Cookies and Trackers You can block Viafoura at the browser level to ensure it cannot drop tracking cookies. [1] Via Browser Settings: Go to your browser’s privacy settings and select “Block third-party cookies” . Go to your browser’s privacy settings and select . Via Privacy Extensions: Install a privacy-focused browser extension like Ghostery or Privacy Badger. These tools explicitly flag and block the viafoura.co domain from monitoring your scrolling and clicking habits. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] 3. Request Data Deletion If you have previously logged into a commenting section powered by Viafoura, your email, name, and past interactions are stored on their servers. [1] You have the right to request full erasure. To delete your profile permanently, contact the customer support team of the specific media outlet where you created the account. Under data privacy laws (like GDPR or CCPA), the publisher must trigger a deletion command that wipes your identity from Viafoura’s database. 2 of 2: News item from De veritas: “…there was a data breach of WordPress, I’m surprised it didn’t ? get a lot of attention. https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/20/hackers-are-exploiting-recently-patched-wordpress-bugs-putting-millions-of-websites-at-risk/“ Here are the opening pars; more at the techcrunk link. Hackers are exploiting recently patched WordPress bugs, putting millions of websites at risk Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai 8:35 AM PDT · July 20, 2026 Hackers are breaking into websites that run vulnerable versions of the popular blogging software WordPress, according to several cybersecurity firms. One estimate puts the number of vulnerable WordPress websites at tens of millions as of Monday. Last week, WordPress patched two critical security flaws, urging people who run its software on their websites to update it “immediately.” The vulnerabilities are so severe that WordPress enabled forced updates where possible. Since then, cybersecurity companies Patchstack, Hexastrike, and WatchTowr have all warned that hackers are exploiting the vulnerabilities in the wild, meaning they are taking over websites that are still running susceptible versions of WordPress… OK, this is all I’ve got as of 8pm leftkost/11pm east, July 22. 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