Phone numbers encoded by WordPress plugin

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We’ve extended protection against crawling personal data on public pages. Since version 6.55 plugin encodes phone numbers as well as emails on any public page in your WordPress.

Encoding works by two switches. Either you turn on global encoding for all content on the site,

WordPress console -> Settings -> Anti-Spam by CleanTalk -> Advanced Settings -> Encode contact data -> Encode phone numbers.

Here are full manual how to use this option https://cleantalk.org/help/email-encode

Or use short code below to encode a specific phone number in article,

[apbct_encode_data] +1 11*********44 [/apbct_encode_data]

Here are more details for the short code https://cleantalk.org/help/using-shortcodes-hooks-to-encode-contact-data

Here is an example of encoded phone number,

We are happy to assist you at  +1***********30.

That’s all, phone number is encoded and protected against crawling by spam bots!

Finally, In the Anti-Spam log track interactions (encoding contact data by real visitors) with contact data on a website. There you find date, time and location of visitors who saw your phone number on a site https://cleantalk.org/my/show_requests

Track contact data interaction on a site.
Screenshot 2025 06 20 at 12.49.53 PM

Have a question? Just drop the comment in the form down below. Cheers!

Comments

2 responses to “Phone numbers encoded by WordPress plugin”

  1. YamYam Avatar
    YamYam

    Great update!
    I’m excited to see CleanTalk now supports Gwolle Guestbook forms — it’s a relief to protect these classic guestbook plugins effectively.

    I followed your four-step guide and was impressed by how seamlessly the CleanTalk Anti‑Spam plugin kicked in immediately after activation — no manual setup for each form needed. It also blocked test submissions using s @ cleantalk.org in Incognito, just as described.

    On my site, we’ve been battling not only comment spam but also guestbook entries from bots. CleanTalk’s unified protection across all form types—guestbook, contact, review, and registration forms—is a game-changer.

    Could you share any insights on tuning the system for low-traffic guestbook forms? For example, is there a recommended way to enable or tweak honeypot/time‑out features, similar to how Gwolle Guestbook’s native filters work?

    Thanks again for the guide — it really simplifies form protection while avoiding CAPTCHAs or puzzles!

  2. Serge Avatar
    Serge

    Hello,

    Thank you for your kind words.

    The plugin doesn’t require fine-tuning. However, if you need any help, you can always contact us through our Ticket System: https://cleantalk.org/my/support/open

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