Jake

<p>SpotBot was created for the purpose of controlling spam before it clutters up your server. Gone are the days of constant comments about Gucci bags in broken English. SpotBot not only stops spam from comments, but also stops bots from creating fake accounts or even logging in, but the fun doesn’t stop there! A custom action has been built in so you can add it into any template to stop access to that page!</p>
<h4>So how does it work?</h4>
<p>Every task that starts or ends in WordPress starts with an action! SpotBot utilizes these actions, to gain control over who has access to your site! But how can it tell who’s bad and who’s good? SpotBot uses a service from BotScout to determine who the baddies are. They have allowed public access to their database through an API that SpotBot utilizes. This API access is limited though, and only allows around 300 queries to it in any 24-hour period. You could pay BotScout for more access as they’re fairly cheap, but to help them keep their costs down and help you have control over your visitors, all IP’s are logged to your database. Each time a returning IP is found, it checks the cache first and if nothing is found checks BotScout for more information. It’s as simple as that, SpotBot can be a set-it-and-forget-it plugin, but it can be more than that. Have a problem with a particular user that keeps making user accounts? Flag them as a bot! The harder they try, the more flags they generate and the higher they go on the bot score! SpotBot comes with a built in search function to make finding those troublesome bots easier than ever. Don’t want to save the IP in a list of trouble makers? Make a note of them in each IPs note section for easy searching. Can only remember the first 3 digits of the IP address? Search for it!</p>


SpotBot

SpotBot aids in controlling spam before it clutters up your server. It stops bots in their tracks before they have a chance to post or force post.

David Gewirtz

<p><strong>My Private Site</strong> is the easiest way to make your entire WordPress site private. With one setting, you can restrict all pages and posts so they are visible only to logged-in users. Visitors who are not signed in are automatically redirected to the WordPress login screen.</p>
<p>Unlike full membership plugins, My Private Site does not require the overhead of subscriptions, payments, or profile management. Instead, it focuses on strong, lightweight privacy, perfect for projects where you just need to keep your site limited to a trusted audience.</p>
<h3>Ideal Use Cases</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Family sites and school projects</strong>: Share personal updates, photos, or assignments only with family members, classmates, or teachers you choose.</li>
<li><strong>Development and staging sites</strong>: Safely show work-in-progress to clients or teammates without exposing unfinished content or letting it be indexed by search engines.</li>
<li><strong>Clubs, groups, and internal blogs</strong>: Create a private online space for members or staff without the overhead of a complex membership system.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>One-click option to make your entire WordPress site private.</li>
<li>Optional setting to keep the homepage public while locking down the rest of the site.</li>
<li>Automatic login prompts whenever non-logged-in users try to access content.</li>
<li>Flexible landing page control—send users back to the page they requested, to your homepage, dashboard, or a custom URL after login.</li>
<li>Hide the WordPress admin bar on the front end for a cleaner look.</li>
<li>REST API Guardian: block REST API access for logged-out users.</li>
<li>Works with custom login pages, Multisite, BuddyPress, and Theme My Login.</li>
<li>Privacy shortcode lets you selectively show or hide content within a page or post.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Built-in AI Defense</h3>
<p>The internet is rapidly changing, with AI crawlers and bots harvesting content without consent. My Private Site helps you defend your work with integrated <strong>AI Defense</strong> features:<br />
* <strong>NoAI and NoImageAI tags</strong>: Automatically add meta tags and headers that signal compliant AI systems not to use your text or images for training.<br />
* <strong>Block GPTBot</strong>: Add a robots.txt rule to prevent OpenAI’s crawler from accessing your site.<br />
* <strong>Really Simple Licensing (RSL)</strong>: Publish a machine-readable license that explicitly prohibits AI training on your content.</p>
<p>These protections are included free in the core plugin, easy to enable with a checkbox, and designed to safeguard your site without affecting normal visitors or search engines. You can use them even if you’re not using any other site privacy features.</p>
<h3>Privacy Made Simple for Teams, Projects, and Families</h3>
<p>In short, My Private Site turns your WordPress installation into a secure, invite-only space with just a few clicks. Whether you’re running a private blog, staging a project, or safeguarding your family site, it provides peace of mind, modern AI defenses, and effortless setup—all while staying lightweight and easy to manage.</p>
<h3>Watch the Video Overview and Demo</h3>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="My Private Site 4.0 Getting Started" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jry3DHD-OB8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h3>Premium Add-ons</h3>
<p>Premium add-ons turn My Private Site into a comprehensive privacy suite, giving you enterprise-style layered security defenses, smarter oversight, and flexible access, without the complexity or cost.</p>
<p>Advanced AI Defense, Visitor Intelligence, and Block IP provide protections regardless of whether you’re using any site privacy features.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="My Private Site Digital Fortress - Extensions Ecosystem" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B6s8O9VZLc0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-public-pages/" rel="nofollow ugc">Public Pages 2.0</a>: Allows site operators to designate certain specific pages, or pages with specified prefix, to be available to the public without login. Now also allows public site, private pages. <a href="https://youtu.be/u7BuYtzS_pI" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-advanced-ai-defense/" rel="nofollow ugc">Advanced AI Defense</a>: Protect WordPress content from AI crawlers using licensing, opt-out tags, selective bot blocking, and firewall defenses to control and safeguard your data. <a href="https://youtu.be/Eb4qQDafaRk" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-visitor-intelligence/" rel="nofollow ugc">Visitor Intelligence</a>: Track logins, logouts, failed attempts, and bot activity with a unified log, anomaly detection, and export tools for stronger site oversight and security. <a href="https://youtu.be/TTK8bGVD8pM" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-guest-access/" rel="nofollow ugc">Guest Access</a>: Grant temporary, secure access to private WordPress content using unique shareable links with expiration, one-time use, and full admin-controlled invite management. <a href="https://youtu.be/j1vYV8lhqcc" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-block-ip/" rel="nofollow ugc">Block IP</a>: Block unwanted visitors by IP address or range with full IPv4/IPv6 support, configurable scope, and fast enforcement to secure your WordPress site. <a href="https://youtu.be/vsxLqYXWITs" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-tags-and-categories/" rel="nofollow ugc">Tags & Categories</a>: Allows you to make pages public or (with Public Pages 2.0) private based on tags and categories. <a href="https://youtu.be/dEv7lXxU5lo" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-selective-content/" rel="nofollow ugc">Selective Content</a>: Allows hiding, showing, and obscurifying page content through the use of shortcodes. Can also selectively hide widgets and sidebars. <a href="https://youtu.be/exgJrJJSCNY" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-pricing/" rel="nofollow ugc">Digital Fortress Bundle</a>: All add-ons are available in bundle form.  <a href="https://youtu.be/B6s8O9VZLc0" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Limits</h3>
<p>This plugin does not hide non-WordPress web pages, such as .html and .php files. It also won’t restrict images and other media and text files directly accessed by their URL. If your hosting provider’s filesystem protections haven’t been set up correctly, files may also be accessed by directory listing.</p>
<h3>Support Note</h3>
<p>Support has moved to the ZATZLabs site and is no longer provided on the WordPress.org forums. If you need a timely reply from the developer, please <a href="http://zatzlabs.com/submit-ticket/" rel="nofollow ugc">open a ticket</a>.</p>
<h3>Mailing List</h3>
<p>If you’d like to keep up with the latest updates to this plugin, please visit <a href="http://zatzlabs.com/lab-notes/" rel="nofollow ugc">David’s Lab Notes</a> and add yourself to the mailing list.</p>


My Private Site with AI Defense

Lock down your site with one click. Privacy for family, projects, or teams.

SpotBot vs My Private Site with AI Defense