YOUR FAMILY’S INFORMATION
Privacy starts at home.
Little Boundaries is designed to create restrictions profiles on your Mac, without a developer account or developer backend.
This policy describes this website and the current development app, version 1.0.0 (6). It is not a claim that Apple’s services, GitHub, your browser, or the entire Mac operate without network traffic.
What stays on your Mac
Family supervision identities and saved device unlock tokens are stored in the local Mac Keychain. Family identity sync is off by default on each Mac; device unlock tokens are never included in it. Restriction choices are used locally to create profiles. Approved settings catalog data is stored locally. The app has no analytics or automatic crash uploader and does not upload family names, device identifiers, profiles, identities, or tokens to us.
Optional family identity sync with Apple
If you enable family identity sync, Little Boundaries stores a copy of the family supervision certificate, private key, organization name, and creation date in your iCloud Keychain. Apple protects iCloud Keychain with end-to-end encryption. Little Boundaries does not receive this copy or store it on our servers. This feature uses iCloud Keychain, not a Little Boundaries CloudKit database.
This allows another Mac using Little Boundaries and the same parent Apple Account to restore the same identity for device setup and updates. A completed synced copy can help if a Mac fails or is replaced, provided you can recover access to your iCloud Keychain. Family Sharing does not automatically share this identity with another parent’s Apple Account. Enable Passwords & Keychain in macOS and verify the matching key identifier on both Macs before relying on recovery; sync timing and account recovery are controlled by Apple. Keep an independent encrypted identity export.
Parents review before enabling sync or restoring an identity. Existing local and cloud identities are not automatically overwritten. Turning sync use off in Little Boundaries preserves local and existing cloud copies; it does not delete data from iCloud, and Apple may continue synchronizing the existing cloud copy. Device recovery tokens, restriction profiles, Developer ID signing credentials, and other Keychain items are excluded. Apple’s iCloud security and account practices apply.
App updates you control
On first launch, Little Boundaries asks whether to check automatically for Mac app updates using Sparkle. You can choose manual checks and change that choice in Settings. If enabled, checks run about once a day. App installations require your approval. The GitHub-hosted update feed and downloads receive ordinary connection information, including your IP address and app version. System profiling is disabled. Family names, device identifiers, supervision keys, recovery tokens, and restriction choices are not included in update requests.
App updates are separate from profile settings catalog updates. Installed profiles never change automatically. App checks are blocked during device operations, erase confirmation, and unexported restrictions drafts.
Settings catalog updates you choose
Checking for a settings catalog update sends a request directly to GitHub. GitHub receives ordinary connection information, including your IP address, and an app-identifying request header. Checks are manual; the app does not include a GitHub login or send family settings or device identifiers with the request. GitHub’s privacy practices apply to that connection. The private development catalog is not publicly downloadable yet.
The app verifies catalog signatures, shows changes for review, and requires approval before saving new defaults. Approving a catalog never changes an installed device profile automatically. Catalog updates provide supported settings data, not executable code.
Apple Configurator may contact Apple for activation and software services. Opening a website, guide, checklist, Apple App Store, privacy-policy, or Ko-fi support link opens your browser. The optional Ko-fi button sends you to the owner’s Ko-fi page; Ko-fi handles donations and any information you choose to provide under its own policies. Little Boundaries does not process payments or embed Ko-fi tracking. Apple and the browser or hosting provider handle those requests under their own practices.
Files you export
You choose where to save profiles and encrypted supervision identity backups. A destination you select may be cloud-synced or shared. Keep identity backups and their passwords secure. A profile with a removal password contains that password in readable XML; do not share it with your child or reuse an Apple Account password.
Device operations temporarily use local private-key files with restricted permissions. The app removes these after an operation, but a crash or power loss may leave temporary files. FileVault is recommended for the Mac.
Children’s information
The app is intended for use by parents and guardians. It does not provide remote monitoring or read children’s messages or browsing activity. Creating Apple Accounts, Family Sharing, and Screen Time settings happens through Apple, not through a Little Boundaries account.
This website and GitHub Pages
This site is operated by the Little Boundaries project and hosted by GitHub Pages. These pages include no analytics scripts, advertising, tracking cookies, account forms, remote fonts, or third-party image requests. We do not add a visitor tracking service.
GitHub states that it logs and stores visitors’ IP addresses for security purposes, even if they are not signed in. GitHub handles hosting-related information under its own privacy practices and retention policies. We do not set or control GitHub’s retention period.
GitHub Pages data collection · GitHub Privacy Statement
Links to Apple and GitHub take you to those services when you follow them. Your browser and those services may exchange ordinary connection information. Their own privacy policies apply.
Questions and information you choose to share
Contact the Little Boundaries project through the website repository’s issues. Issues are public: do not post children’s names, account details, device identifiers, passwords, profiles, keys, or tokens. If your question needs a private conversation, ask for a private contact route without including those details. Information you voluntarily post on GitHub is handled by GitHub and is visible to others.
Development status and policy changes
The Mac app is still in development and has no public download yet. Public signing, notarization, and physical-device validation are pending. The app source repository is private; publication is planned for parents and researchers to inspect it. The website source is public in its separate repository.
We will update this page and its effective date when practices change. Review it before using a future release, especially if a new feature introduces a network connection or a different storage practice.