Protect your data against global mass surveillance programs.
This report summarizes scanner evidence for privacyguides/privacyguides.org, a Markdown project with 4,338 GitHub stars. SynthScan examined 44,324 lines of code across 293 source files, recording 107 pattern matches distributed across 6 syntactic categories. The legacy adjusted pattern signal is 3.9 (Low pattern signal); it is not an authorship estimate.
Use the findings to ask whether maintainers can explain intent, verify dependencies, simplify unnecessary scaffolding, and focus review effort. Risk Payload v1 adds ownership, supply-chain, over-engineering, and review-effort vectors when available. These are prompts for human verification, not probabilities, security findings, or measured maintenance costs.
Use each vector to guide manual verification of the underlying findings.
Payload schema: 1.0.0 · Engine: 2.0.0 · Scoring: heuristic-density-v1 · Scan date: 2026-10-31.
Can maintainers explain intent, assumptions, and trade-offs? 55 finding(s).
Are imports declared and package/API names verified? 40 finding(s).
Are wrappers, guards, and repeated structures necessary? 12 finding(s).
Which changes need focused human review? 107 finding(s).
This chart tracks the legacy adjusted pattern score across scan runs. Changes can reflect source changes, scan coverage, or detector/scoring versions; they do not measure AI adoption or prove that a team refactored code. Compare runs only when their scoring versions are compatible. The dashed line tracks the raw pattern-hit count.
Groups findings by configured severity weight. Severity is not a confidence estimate, security rating, or proof that a package is missing. Verify imports against the project's manifests and inspect each finding in its local design context.
This horizontal bar chart shows where configured pattern scores accumulate across directories. Treat the bars as locations to inspect, not as evidence of authorship or code quality. Use the file-level findings to decide whether a directory needs a focused ownership, dependency, complexity, or review check.
The scanner identified 107 distinct pattern matches across 6 syntactic categories. Each entry below represents a discrete location in the source code where the engine recorded a detector match to inspect in context. Expand any category row to inspect the individual file paths, line numbers, code snippets, and the lexical context (CODE, COMMENT, or STRING) in which each match was detected.
Reading the findings table: The Severity column indicates the configured finding weight (CRITICAL / HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW). The Context column identifies whether the match occurred inside executable code, an inline comment, or a string literal — legacy comment-context matches receive a ×1.5 score weight. The ⚡ bolt icon marks clustered matches: three or more patterns within a 10-line window, each receiving an additional ×1.5 density multiplier under the legacy scoring model.
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 11 | This is an example of an admonition. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismod nulla. Cu | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 11 | This is an example of an admonition. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismod nulla. Cu | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 18 | This is an example of a collapsible admonition. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismo | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 18 | This is an example of a collapsible admonition. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismo | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 55 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 55 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 64 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 64 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 73 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 73 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 82 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 82 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 91 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 91 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 100 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 100 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 109 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 109 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 118 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 118 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 127 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 127 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 136 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 136 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 145 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 145 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 154 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 154 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 239 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismod | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 239 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismod | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 249 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismod | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 249 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismod | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 260 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismod | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 260 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismod | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 270 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismod | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | docs/meta/admonitions.md | 270 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla et euismod | CODE |
| LOW | blog/posts/real-name-policies.md | 268 | During an earlier purge in 2009, small-business entrepreneur Alicia Istanbul [suddenly lost access](https://www.sfgate.c | CODE |
| LOW | blog/posts/easyoptouts-review.md | 79 | *Privacy Guides* performed an initial search for personal information for each of our subjects on Google by searching fo | COMMENT |
| LOW | .vscode/ltex.hiddenFalsePositives.en-US.txt | 49 | {"rule":"MORFOLOGIK_RULE_EN_US","sentence":"^\\QLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.\\E$"} | CODE |
| LOW | .vscode/ltex.hiddenFalsePositives.en-US.txt | 49 | {"rule":"MORFOLOGIK_RULE_EN_US","sentence":"^\\QLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.\\E$"} | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-keepassxc-and-yubikey.md | 84 | ### Step 1: Download and Install KeePassXC | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-keepassxc-and-yubikey.md | 116 | ### Step 2: Adjust the settings | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-keepassxc-and-yubikey.md | 145 | ### Step 3: Create a database | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-keepassxc-and-yubikey.md | 208 | ### Step 4: Prepare your YubiKey(s) | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-keepassxc-and-yubikey.md | 216 | ### Step 5: Add your YubiKey | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-keepassxc-and-yubikey.md | 265 | ### Step 6: Create a password entry | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-keepassxc-and-yubikey.md | 307 | ### Step 7: Back up your database | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-keepassxc-and-yubikey.md | 338 | ### Step 8: Install the browser extension (optional) | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-and-using-tails.md | 165 | ### Step 1: Download Tails | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-and-using-tails.md | 189 | ### Step 2: Verify the file you just downloaded | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-and-using-tails.md | 206 | ### Step 3: Download and install balenaEtcher | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-and-using-tails.md | 227 | ### Step 4: Install Tails on your USB stick using balenaEtcher | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-and-using-tails.md | 298 | ### Step 5: Continue this tutorial from paper or from another device (if you can do so safely) | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/installing-and-using-tails.md | 306 | ### Step 6: Boot your computer from your Tails USB stick | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 78 | ### Step 1: Remove your keys from all accounts | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 93 | ### Step 2: Download and install the Yubico Authenticator | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 101 | ### Step 3: Open the Yubico Authenticator and plug in your keys | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 127 | ### Step 4: Delete your YubiKey's One-Time Password (OTP) application | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 151 | ### Step 5: Reset your YubiKey's FIDO2, OATH, and PIV applications | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 200 | ### Step 6: Reset your YubiKey's OpenPGP and YubiHSM Auth applications | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 364 | ### Step 7: Secure your keys | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 395 | ### Step 8: Create and register each key's OTP | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 510 | ### Step 9: Create and clone your key's Challenge-response | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 572 | ### Step 10: Register and copy your key's OATH-TOTPs, Passkeys, Static passwords, and OATH-HOTPs | COMMENT |
| LOW | blog/posts/yubikey-reset-and-backup.md | 684 | ### Step 11: Generate and copy an OpenPGP key and subkeys to your YubiKeys | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/page.yml | 98 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/page.yml | 100 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/pride.yml | 76 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/pride.yml | 78 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/blog.yml | 125 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/blog.yml | 127 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/video.yml | 60 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/video.yml | 62 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/home.yml | 59 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/home.yml | 61 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/toolbox.yml | 94 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | theme/layouts/toolbox.yml | 96 | # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH | …cs/activism/toolbox/tip-beware-of-privacy-snake-oil.md | 51 | - [**Biased reviews**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#fake-reviews): Is | CODE |
| HIGH | …cs/activism/toolbox/tip-beware-of-privacy-snake-oil.md | 51 | - [**Biased reviews**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#fake-reviews): Is | CODE |
| HIGH | blog/posts/red-and-green-privacy-flags.md | 164 | Fake reviews are a growing problem on the internet. And this was only aggravated by the arrival of generative AI. There | CODE |
| HIGH | blog/posts/red-and-green-privacy-flags.md | 175 | ### :triangular_flag_on_post: Fake AI-generated content | COMMENT |
| HIGH | blog/posts/digital-provenance.md | 89 | [Several](https://youtu.be/E4I6K8OEyho?si=wbWAUcLsjOA7yDnO) [history](https://youtu.be/cqrHmjGD1ds?si=k60RTO9MH177ASTS) | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | mkdocs.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2022-2024 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | crowdin.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2023 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | mkdocs.blog.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2022-2024 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .markdownlint.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2022 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | theme/layouts/toolbox.yml | 141 | style: *title_font_style | COMMENT |
| LOW | theme/assets/stylesheets/extra.css | 1 | /* | COMMENT |
| LOW | theme/assets/stylesheets/home.css | 1 | /* | COMMENT |
| LOW | theme/assets/stylesheets/lang-he.css | 1 | /* | COMMENT |
| LOW | theme/assets/stylesheets/lang-zh-Hant.css | 1 | /* | COMMENT |
| LOW | theme/assets/stylesheets/lang-zh-TW.css | 1 | /* | COMMENT |
| LOW | theme/assets/stylesheets/lang-ru.css | 1 | /* | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/workflows/upload-crowdin.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2022-2024 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/workflows/test-lint.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2024 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/workflows/test-build.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2024 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/workflows/publish-release.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2021-2024 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/workflows/update-discussions.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2024 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/workflows/publish-mirror.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2022 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/workflows/publish-immediate.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2021-2025 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/2_Website_Issues.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2023 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/1_Content_Correction.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2023 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/config.yml | 1 | # Copyright (c) 2020-2023 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .vscode/settings.json | 1 | // Copyright (c) 2024 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| LOW | .vscode/extensions.json | 1 | // Copyright (c) 2024 Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net> | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | tools/delete-unreferenced.sh | 13 | # Check if assets directory exists | COMMENT |
| LOW | tools/generate-topics.sh | 5 | # Check if the script is running on macOS | COMMENT |