This is a maintenance release that also helps cover some things with GDPR. It's not required you do this update but we suggest you do it.
WordPress 4.9.6 Privacy and Maintenance Release (wordpress.org)
WordPress 4.9.6 is now available. This is a privacy and maintenance release. We encourage you to update your sites to take advantage of the new privacy features.
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes effect on May 25. The GDPR requires companies and site owners to be transparent about how they collect, use, and share personal data. It also gives individuals more access and choice when it comes to how their own personal data is collected, used, and shared.
It’s important to understand that while the GDPR is a European regulation, its requirements apply to all sites and online businesses that collect, store, and process personal data about EU residents no matter where the business is located.
You can learn more about the GDPR from the European Commission’s Data Protection page.
We’re committed to supporting site owners around the world in their work to comply with this important law. As part of that effort, we’ve added a number of new privacy features in this release.
With this version, you're able to set which page is your Privacy Policy page (usually named "Privacy Policy") so this is something you should do. It's easy. Just go to Setttings > Privacy and set it there:
The previous version of WordPress was 4.9.5 on April 3, 2018.
Our Website Maintenance Department will be in contact with you regarding these upgrades. Clients that have signed up for our Automatic WordPress Update Program or Website Care program will get their website updated in the next week or so or if a follow-up version of WordPress is released.
View the complete list of WordPress versions here and here.
Read more about why WordPress updates are important.
If you haven’t heard about our Website Care program, then you’re missing out on savings and peace of mind!
There are different levels to choose from but with each level, you get your installation of WordPress checked weekly for updates to the core software, plugins and themes. The benefit is that your website software is kept up to date. This work is done by hand and we test your website after the upgrade to make sure everything works like it should.
The program is either by monthly subscription or you can save 10% and pay for a year in advance. When you use this program you save about 40% on updating WordPress. It’s kind of a no-brainer!
Sleep better knowing that your website is being taken care of when you enroll in our Website Care program today!
-Tony
