Privfox
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macOS 14 or later

Install a release you can verify.

Privfox Screen will begin with a clearly labeled unsigned Early Preview. It includes versioned notes, source code, and a SHA-256 checksum, but it is not yet verified by Apple.

Early Preview trust notice

The preview is ad-hoc signed for bundle integrity, but it is not Developer ID signed or notarized. macOS cannot identify its publisher or confirm that Apple checked it for malicious software. If you are not comfortable making a per-app security exception, build the open source project in Xcode or wait for the notarized release.

Before installing

Download Privfox Screen only from the official GitHub Release linked from this website. Compare its SHA-256 checksum with the checksum file on the same release before opening it. A matching checksum confirms you received the published file; it does not replace Apple notarization.

Install the Early Preview

  1. Download the preview ZIP and checksum. Use only the official Privfox Screen GitHub Release.
  2. Verify the download. In Terminal, run shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Privfox-Screen-*.zip and compare the result with the published .sha256 file.
  3. Move Privfox to Applications. Open the ZIP, then drag Privfox into the Applications folder.
  4. Try to open Privfox once. macOS will block the unnotarized preview. Choose Done or close the warning.
  5. Allow this copy only. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, click Open Anyway, authenticate, then confirm Open. Apple makes this option available for about one hour after the blocked launch.
  6. Use the safe demo. From onboarding or Privacy settings, try the Privacy Curtain before a real presentation.

Gatekeeper and macOS trust

The steps above create an exception only for the copy of Privfox Screen you chose. Do not disable Gatekeeper globally and do not run Terminal commands that remove macOS security protections. Future normal releases are planned to be Developer ID signed and notarized, removing this preview-only installation step. See Apple's current Open Anyway guidance for the official macOS steps and warnings.

Prefer to build it yourself?

Install Xcode, download the official source, open Privfox.xcodeproj, choose the Privfox scheme and My Mac, then press Run.

Update

For v1, updates are deliberate: download the newer verified release and replace the existing app in Applications. Automatic updates are not included in the first release.

Uninstall

Quit Privfox from its menu bar, then move Privfox from Applications to the Trash. macOS may retain its local preferences after the app is removed. To delete those too, open Terminal and run defaults delete org.privfox.app. There is no remote account or cloud data to close.