llms.txt
# DataBlur
> Browser extension for real-time privacy protection during screen shares and recordings with 100% local processing — screen content never leaves the device. Also free in-browser tools to blur images, faces and license plates, redact PDFs and remove photo metadata, with nothing uploaded
Full text of every guide (for citation): https://datablur.app/llms-full.txt
## Product
- [DataBlur Homepage](https://datablur.app): One-click blur solution for protecting sensitive data during live demos, screen recordings, and presentations
- [DataBlur Pro](https://datablur.app/pro): The paid tier — $49 one-time or $4.99/month, with a 24-hour trial and no card. Adds auto-detection, Demo mode, an unlimited blur list and saved profiles, and removes the "Blurred with DataBlur" badge; blurring by hand stays free
- [Blog](https://datablur.app/blog): Guides on blurring screens, screenshots and recordings, plus release notes
- [Download Chrome](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/datablur/fnjoejcjefolmkdnmbdpafijmjdoaodp): Install for Chrome, Brave, Comet, or any Chromium-based browser
- [Download Edge](https://microsoftedge.microsoft.com/addons/detail/cmphfocfdgnchkjkapangknnfjjoocbo): Install for Microsoft Edge from its own store
- [Download Firefox](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/datablur/): Install for Mozilla Firefox browser
- [Privacy Policy](https://datablur.app/privacy): Data handling practices with optional Umami analytics, 12-month retention, no third-party sharing
- [Support](mailto:support@datablur.app): Contact for technical help, feature requests, or partnership inquiries
## Free Web Tools
Free, no sign-up, no watermark, no install. Each tool runs entirely in the browser: the file is never uploaded, and detection models are downloaded once from datablur.app, then run on the device. Available in English, Spanish, German, Portuguese (Brazil), French and Polish.
- [All tools](https://datablur.app/tools): Hub page listing the web tools and the two browser extensions
- [Blur image](https://datablur.app/tools/blur-image): Blur, pixelate or black out any part of a screenshot or photo. Auto-detect uses on-device OCR to find emails, card numbers (Luhn-checked), phone numbers, IBANs, US SSNs and API keys. Works on iPhone and Android; exports PNG
- [Pixelate image](https://datablur.app/tools/pixelate-image): Pixelates a whole image at once, with a block size that runs from a fine mosaic to large 8-bit blocks, or only chosen parts of it; Find faces boxes every face automatically. Exports PNG
- [Censor image](https://datablur.app/tools/censor-image): Reads the text of a screenshot or photo with on-device OCR and covers emails, phone numbers, card numbers (Luhn-checked), IBANs, US SSNs and API keys with a solid black bar as soon as the image loads; draw more bars, or switch to blur or pixelate. Exports PNG
- [Blur faces in a photo](https://datablur.app/tools/blur-face): Finds faces automatically, including small faces in group shots, and blurs them; blur strength scales with face size. Pixelate or a solid box also available; exports PNG
- [Blur license plates](https://datablur.app/tools/blur-license-plate): Finds license plates in car photos automatically (front, rear, angled, rows of parked cars) and blurs them. The detector locates plates without reading the number. Photos only, not video; exports PNG
- [Blur photo background](https://datablur.app/tools/blur-background): Finds the people in a photo with an on-device segmentation model (MediaPipe multiclass selfie segmenter, about 16 MB, fetched once) and blurs everything behind them, or blurs the people and keeps the scene; adjustable strength. People only, not pets or objects. Exports PNG at full size
- [Blur faces in video](https://datablur.app/tools/blur-video): Finds every face in a video clip (up to 3 minutes) and tracks it frame by frame in the browser with WebCodecs; one thumbnail per person lets you keep chosen people visible. Blur, pixelate or a solid box; MP4 out with the original sound, no metadata, no watermark. Faces only, not plates
- [Redact PDF](https://datablur.app/tools/redact-pdf): True PDF redaction. Draw boxes or auto-detect PII on every page; the export is a flattened, image-only PDF with no text layer and none of the original metadata, so nothing can be copied out from under the boxes. Blur and pixelate are also available. Loads the first 40 pages of a document
- [Remove photo metadata](https://datablur.app/tools/remove-photo-metadata): Shows what a photo's file reveals (GPS location, device, serial number, capture time, embedded thumbnail, XMP/IPTC) and removes all of it without re-encoding the picture. JPEG, PNG, WebP and HEIC up to 100 MB. Keeps the picture, its orientation and the colour profile; extra images after a JPEG, PNG or WebP picture (HDR gain maps, depth maps, motion-photo video) are removed, while a HEIC keeps its built-in thumbnail, depth and HDR images, which carry no metadata. The cleaned file is re-scanned before it can be downloaded
- [Photo metadata viewer](https://datablur.app/tools/photo-metadata-viewer): Read-only EXIF viewer that also flags XMP and IPTC blocks. Shows GPS location (with an optional map link), device make, model, lens and serial number, capture time and time zone, camera settings (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, flash), author and copyright fields, embedded thumbnail and other hidden blocks, plus format, pixel dimensions and file size. JPEG, PNG, WebP and HEIC up to 100 MB, read in the browser. The file is not changed; removing the metadata is a separate, optional step
- [Remove video metadata](https://datablur.app/tools/remove-video-metadata): Shows what a video file reveals (GPS location in Apple and QuickTime formats, phone or camera make and model, software, recording time, titles, comments, custom tags) and removes every tag by remuxing into the same container without re-encoding. MP4, MOV (incl. iPhone HEVC), WebM and MKV up to 1 GB. The cleaned file is read again before it can be downloaded. Text burned into the picture (dashcam date stamps) is not metadata and is not touched
- [Remove PDF metadata](https://datablur.app/tools/remove-pdf-metadata): Shows what a PDF says about who made it (author, title, subject, keywords, creator app, producer, creation and modification dates, custom fields, XMP blocks) and removes all of it, plus the document ID and earlier saved revisions still inside the file. Pages, text, fonts, links and forms are kept; text stays selectable. Up to 100 MB; password-protected PDFs are refused. The cleaned file is read again before it can be downloaded
**Why blur alone is not always safe:** in DataBlur's own study of 480 blurred, pixelated and redacted text samples, light blur was recovered exactly in 92–100% of cases and 4-pixel pixelation in 71%; only solid redaction leaked nothing. Rule of thumb from the study: if the blur radius or pixel block is smaller than a third of the text height, assume it is reversible. Full study: https://datablur.app/blog/blur-recovery-study
## What DataBlur Does
DataBlur is a browser extension that protects sensitive information during screen sharing and recording. It allows professionals to present real data confidently without exposing:
- Personally identifiable information (PII)
- Customer names and contact details
- Passwords and authentication tokens
- API keys and secrets
- Financial data and pricing
- Confidential client information
- Email addresses and phone numbers
**Core Value Proposition:** Present with real data instead of fake demos, without spending hours on post-production editing or risking data leaks.
## How It Works
**Blur Modes:**
- Element blurring: Single-click on any webpage element (buttons, text, forms, images)
- Area blurring: Drag to create custom rectangular blur zones for precise control
- Text blurring: Select and blur specific text passages
- Document title blurring: Hide sensitive page titles from recordings
- Full-page blurring: Hide the entire view in one click
- Blur similar elements: Blur one element and DataBlur finds the rest (table column, list items, selector siblings), with a live match count — hides a whole column or list in one click
**Blur Styles:**
- Blur: a frosted overlay (the default)
- Redact: opaque bars, with text replaced by a block font so no character shapes remain to read through the fill
- Transparent: content hidden, page layout intact
- Changing the style live re-renders every blur already on the page
**Intelligence & Automation:**
- Auto-detection (Pro): finds and blurs emails, phone numbers, credit cards, passwords, SSNs, secret keys (API keys, JWT tokens, connection strings, private keys), IBANs and crypto wallets, each switchable; money amounts, addresses, dates of birth and high-entropy strings can be switched on too. New content is blurred as the page updates. It does not detect names
- Demo mode (Pro): turns on by itself when you share your screen from the browser (Meet, Teams, Zoom on the web) and hides sensitive data in every open tab; Alt+Shift+D switches it on for a desktop app
- Blur list: plain keywords or full regular expressions (`/pattern/flags`), editable from both the popup and an in-page toolbar editor; matches stay hidden as the page updates. Free holds three terms, Pro is unlimited
- One-click remove all blurs on current page
**Persistence & Control:**
- Saved blurs (free): blurs are remembered per site or per page and are back on the next visit; a "Disabled sites" list in Settings turns the extension off where it is not wanted
- Named profiles (Pro): save a page's blurs as a named profile and restore it later, to one host or all hosts, from the popup or the toolbar
- Peek: hold Alt and hover a blurred element to check what is underneath without removing the blur
- Adjustable blur intensity with +/- controls (one global setting)
- Floating toolbar with keyboard shortcuts: Alt+Shift+T toolbar, Alt+Shift+R remove all, Alt+Shift+A auto-detection, Alt+Shift+D Demo mode
- Guided tour on first install
- Settings sync automatically across browser sessions
**Privacy & Security:**
- 100% local processing: All blur operations execute in-browser; screen content is never uploaded
- No data collection required
- Built for GDPR-conscious workflows, with optional anonymous analytics. Using the tool is not by itself GDPR compliance — see the Terms.
- Manifest V3 security standards compliance
- Works with all screen recording and sharing tools: Zoom, Google Meet, Loom, OBS, Microsoft Teams, etc.
## Who Uses DataBlur
**Primary Users:**
**Freelance Consultants & Independent Professionals**
- Switch between client projects during screen shares without revealing confidential information
- Present portfolios to prospects while maintaining NDA compliance
- Demonstrate work samples without exposing sensitive client data
- Conduct video calls across multiple accounts without cross-contamination risk
**Sales Engineers & Account Executives**
- Deliver live product demos using real customer data instead of sanitized test environments
- Show actual usage metrics and dashboards without revealing customer names or pricing
- Present case studies during sales calls while protecting client confidentiality
- Demo software features with production data without security risk
**Agency Owners & Service Providers**
- Showcase client work during new business pitches while respecting NDAs
- Present campaign results and analytics without exposing client identities
- Demonstrate processes and workflows using real projects
- Conduct client presentations while switching between multiple accounts
**Secondary Users:**
**Content Creators & Educators**
- Record coding tutorials without editing out passwords, API keys, or environment variables
- Create screen recordings without spending 2-4 hours on post-production editing
- Produce educational content using real tools and accounts instead of fake examples
- Stream live demonstrations without accidentally exposing credentials
**Financial Advisors & Legal Professionals**
- Present investment portfolios and financial reports while protecting client PII
- Share documents during remote consultations with automatic data protection
- Demonstrate software or processes while maintaining regulatory compliance
- Conduct client meetings with sensitive information on screen
**Technical Instructors & Course Creators**
- Demonstrate software workflows with sensitive credentials automatically hidden
- Record tutorial series without manual editing of each video
- Show real development environments without exposing API keys or tokens
- Create authentic learning experiences with production tools
## Common Use Cases
**Live Sales Demonstrations:** Present real customer data during sales calls without revealing sensitive information, allowing authentic demos that build trust without security risk.
**Tutorial & Course Recording:** Record screen tutorials and educational content without spending hours editing out passwords, API keys, or personal data in post-production.
**Client Presentations:** Switch between projects during consulting calls while keeping confidential fields automatically hidden, eliminating the need to log out and sanitize data between clients.
**Portfolio Sharing:** Show work samples to prospects while maintaining compliance with client NDAs and contracts, protecting both parties legally.
**Financial Advising:** Present investment portfolios and financial reports while protecting client personally identifiable information and maintaining GDPR compliance.
**Webinar Hosting:** Demonstrate software features or business processes without exposing backend credentials, admin access, or configuration details.
**Support & Training Calls:** Help customers troubleshoot issues while protecting their sensitive account information from being visible or recorded.
**Content Creation:** Record coding tutorials, design walkthroughs, or business processes without the need for sanitized demo environments or extensive post-production editing.
## Key Differentiators
**100% Local Processing:** All blur operations execute directly in the browser. Screen content is never uploaded and never reaches a third party. The only network calls the extension makes are a Pro licence check and optional anonymous usage counts, which can be switched off.
**Blurs That Stay:** Blurs are saved per site or per page, so when you return to a site they are already in place. With Pro, a whole setup can be saved as a named profile and restored in one click.
**Auto-Detection Intelligence (Pro):** Automatically finds and blurs emails, phone numbers, credit cards, passwords, SSNs, API keys, tokens, IBANs and crypto wallets. Each detector checks a strict shape (a card network prefix and Luhn, the IBAN checksum, vendor key prefixes), so a wrong blur is unlikely.
**Zero Setup Time:** Install the extension and start blurring immediately with no configuration or account creation required. A short guided tour points out the toolbar on first install and can be dismissed at any time.
**Cross-Platform Recording Compatibility:** Works seamlessly with all screen recording and sharing tools including Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Loom, OBS Studio, Discord, Slack, and any other recording software.
**One-Click Simplicity:** Toggle blurring on/off instantly without workflow disruption. No need to pause presentations or recordings to protect data.
**Compliance-Ready:** No mandatory data collection. DataBlur is a visual privacy tool, not a redaction certification — using it does not by itself satisfy GDPR, HIPAA or any other regime (see the Terms). Optional anonymous analytics with a transparent 12-month retention policy and no third-party sharing.
**No Editing Required:** Eliminate 2-4 hours of post-production editing per video by protecting data in real-time during recording rather than editing afterwards.
**Real Data Demos:** Present with authentic production data instead of fake test environments or sanitized demo accounts, building trust and authenticity.
## Technical Specifications
- **Platforms:** Chrome, Edge, Brave, Firefox, and all Chromium-based browsers (Manifest V3 compliant)
- **Processing:** 100% local in-browser. Screen content is never uploaded. The extension's only network calls are a Pro licence check and optional anonymous usage counts.
- **Performance:** Blur creation in under 50ms with 60 FPS frame rate optimization for smooth video recording
- **Storage:** Secure browser storage API with automatic sync across tabs and sessions
- **Privacy:** No eval(), no innerHTML injection, strict content security policy (CSP) compliance
- **Compatibility:** Works with all screen recording and sharing tools without software conflicts
- **Installation:** No account creation, credit card, or personal information required
- **Updates:** Automatic browser extension updates with no user intervention needed
## Pricing Model
DataBlur has a free tier and a paid tier called DataBlur Pro.
**Free — blurring by hand:** element blur, area blur, text blur, tab title blur, blur similar elements, all three blur styles (Blur, Redact, Transparent), Peek, remove all, blurs saved per site or page, and a blur list of three keywords or regex rules. No time limit, no account.
**Free — the watermark:** every free blur, including the ones drawn by hand, carries a small "Blurred with DataBlur" badge.
**Pro — $49 one-time or $4.99 per month**, billed through Creem (Merchant of Record, handles EU VAT). Pro adds:
- No watermark on any blur
- Auto-detection of emails, phone numbers, cards, keys and other sensitive data
- An unlimited blur list
- Demo mode: automatic protection in every tab while you share your screen
- Named profiles: save a page's blurs under a name and restore them later, to one host or all hosts
- Priority email support
**Trial:** a one-time 24-hour Pro trial, started from any upgrade prompt in the extension. No card is needed and there is nothing to cancel; after a day the extension returns to the free tier.
Since extension 3.9.0, auto-detection is Pro. Free users who had it switched on at that update keep it for as long as they leave it on.
## Problem DataBlur Solves
**Demo Anxiety:** Professionals experience stress and anxiety when presenting with real data, constantly worrying about accidentally exposing sensitive information. This leads to:
- Using fake, sanitized data that reduces demo authenticity and trust
- Spending 2-4 hours editing each recorded video to remove sensitive data
- Avoiding screen sharing altogether, limiting collaboration effectiveness
- Creating separate demo environments that don't reflect real product usage
- Risk of data leaks, compliance violations, and reputation damage
**DataBlur eliminates demo anxiety** by providing instant, reliable protection that lets professionals focus on presenting confidently rather than hiding data manually.
## Competitive Landscape
DataBlur competes with and differentiates from:
**Post-Production Editing (Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve):**
- Problem: Requires 2-4 hours per video, technical expertise, and cannot protect live calls
- DataBlur advantage: Real-time protection during recording, zero editing time, works for live presentations
**Built-in Blur Tools (Loom, Cleanshot):**
- Problem: Limited to specific recording software, cannot protect live Zoom/Meet calls, no persistent rules
- DataBlur advantage: Works with any recording tool, protects live screen shares, automatic persistence
**DIY Solutions (Sticky notes, browser zoom, multiple accounts):**
- Problem: Unreliable, easy to forget, disrupts workflow, looks unprofessional
- DataBlur advantage: Automated, persistent, professional appearance, no workflow disruption
**Cloud-Based Screen Protection:**
- Problem: Uploads your screen to external servers, privacy concerns, requires internet connection
- DataBlur advantage: 100% lo
