Turn Off Storing User Agent of the Commenter in WordPress DB

As we dig deeper into SEO, understanding how to turn off storing User Agent data in your WordPress database is critical to managing your website’s performance and privacy policies.

The current article is "6.16. Turn Off Storing User Agent" of our Complete SEO Guide Box.
Previous Article: 6.15. Turn Off Storing the IP. Next Article: 6.17. Turn Off Lazy Loading

Contents

1 Understanding User Agent
2 The Problem: WordPress Default Operation
3 How to Turn Off Storing User Agent in Comments With functions.php of the Child Theme
4 How to Remove Commenter’s User Agent from the Database

Understanding User Agent

Firstly, let’s break down what a User Agent is. A web browser sends a little snippet of information when it navigates to any website to identify itself. This information, known as the User Agent string, often includes the name and version of the browser and the operating system the browser is running on. WordPress, a widely used website-building platform, automatically records this data from your website visitors.

The Problem: WordPress Default Operation

By default, WordPress has a built-in feature that automatically saves the User-Agent data of anyone who comments on your website. This data is stored in your WordPress database’s “wp_comments” table in the “comment_agent” column. While this is a standard operation, it’s important to note that you, as the website administrator, have control over this. You can turn off storing User Agent data if it aligns better with your site’s privacy policies, performance needs, or compliance regulations. Understanding the nuances of WordPress and its database storage can help you make informed decisions for your website.

Privacy Implications

There’s a rising concern about privacy in our increasingly digital world, which extends to User-Agent strings. User-Agents can track users’ online behavior despite not containing personally identifiable information. Some may view this as an invasion of privacy. You can boost your site’s privacy standards by turning off storing commenter’s User Agent data in your WordPress database.

Database Performance

Another reason to turn off storing User Agent relates to database performance. This data type can occupy a notable amount of database space over time, potentially slowing down the database querying speed. To optimize your WordPress database, turning off storing User Agent information may be beneficial, mainly if it’s not being utilized.

Compliance with Regulations

With the advent of data protection regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), there’s been an increased emphasis on limiting the data you collect about users. Turning off storing User Agent data of your commenters can help streamline this compliance process.

Akismet and User Agent Storage

Akismet, a popular anti-spam plugin for WordPress, utilizes commenter’s User Agent information as part of its spam detection mechanisms. It helps in identifying spam comments and shielding your site from unwanted content. However, it’s important to note that even if you turn off storing User Agent data in your WordPress database, it won’t negatively impact Akismet’s effectiveness. The plugin operates independently of your database storage decisions and continues to filter spam effectively. Thus, your decision won’t compromise your website’s protection against spam, ensuring it maintains its integrity while optimizing its data storage practices.

How to Turn Off Storing User Agent in Comments With functions.php of the Child Theme

Suppose you’ve decided to turn off storing User Agent information in your WordPress database. In that case, you can modify the functions.php file of your child theme.

Find the end of the functions.php file with the “?>” string.
Before that string, make at least three empty lines and paste the code:

// Disable storing commenter User Agent for new comments.
function remove_comments_ua( $comment_agent ) {
  return '';
}
add_filter( 'pre_comment_user_agent', 'remove_comments_ua' );

Click [Update File].
Clear all the caches in case you use them.

The given code instructs WordPress to yield a blank string when it tries to get the User Agent of the commenter.

Don’t forget to back up your WordPress website before making changes to the code.

How to Remove Commenter’s User Agent from the Database

Suppose your site isn’t new, and you already had several user comments posted before turning off storing the User Agent data in the database. In that case, you must remove the old entries from the database. If you’re with CloudWays hosting, you can read our guide on accessing CloudWays Database Manager.

On the left pane, Select ‘wp_comments’ table.
On the right pane, click on the [Select Data] tab. This tab will show you all the rows in the selected database table.
Under the “from / to” row selection, you will see a small line:

SELECT * FROM `wp_comments` LIMIT 50 (0.001 s) Edit

Click on “Edit”.
To convert all the full User Agent slots to empty slots, paste:

UPDATE wp_comments SET comment_agent = '';

Click [Execute].
Please return to the [Select Data] tab to check that it was removed.