We’re excited to announce the release of WP Statistics 14.4, a significant update that strengthens user privacy and enhances the performance of your WordPress site. With our latest version, we’ve introduced a range of features and improvements that focus on data protection, streamlined processes, and overall optimization.

Privacy Enhancements

Privacy is at the forefront of WP Statistics 14.4. We’re proud to introduce several key features that advance our commitment to user privacy:

• New Hashing Mechanism: We’ve enhanced IP hashing by integrating a Random Daily Salt Mechanism. This provides an extra layer of privacy by making it even more difficult to reverse-engineer hashed IPs. You can learn more about our updated IP hashing approach here.
• User Data Anonymization: With the new update, you have the option to remove user_id and UAString from the visitor table, ensuring that personal identifiers are not stored.
• Hashed IP Links: Hashed IPs now come with a link for enhanced usability without compromising on privacy.

Performance Optimizations

We’ve made several improvements to how WP Statistics operates, making it faster and more efficient:

• Database Cleanup Notifications: A new notification system will alert you to database cleanup opportunities, helping to maintain optimal performance.
• Data Retention Policy: Fresh installations will now default to a ‘Purge Old Data Daily’ setting of 180 days, balancing data insights with database health.
• User Online Duration: The ‘Keep User Online’ duration has been extended to 5 minutes, providing a more accurate representation of user engagement.
• Database Table Improvements: The visitor_relationships table has been upgraded for better record handling, and we’ve eliminated duplicate entries for a cleaner database.
• Sorting and Purging Enhancements: Our refined sorting algorithm prioritizes visitors by their most recent visit. We’ve also improved the purge schedule and conditions to ensure a lean and efficient database.

User Experience and Compatibility Upgrades

WP Statistics 14.4 also includes several fixes and compatibility improvements to ensure a smooth user experience:

• PHP 8.2 Compatibility: We’ve made sure WP Statistics is compatible with the latest PHP version.
• GeoIP Enhancements: Error responses and notices for GeoIP failures have been significantly improved.
• Settings and Customizations: The settings page now includes a reliable IP detector and allows for advanced customization through new filters.
• Browser Version Insights: Now, the ‘Latest Visitor’ data includes browser version information, providing more insights while maintaining user privacy.

Bug Fixes

We’re continually working to make WP Statistics as reliable as possible. In version 14.4, we’ve made the following fixes:

• Corrected a user ID update issue for existing records.
• Set the IP detector to use Ipify.org for accurate IP detection.
• Prevented duplicate color generation in charts and resolved issues with the donation request process.