BlackBoxPeek – PDF redaction leak scanner

A browser-only checker for text hiding under black boxes in PDFs

Problem

Someone built a browser-only tool to check whether text under PDF black boxes is still recoverable. This matters whenever sensitive documents are shared: people think they redacted, but the text is still copyable. For lawyers, journalists, HR, and anyone sending PDFs externally, it's an invisible leak.

Solution

A zero-upload browser tool: drag in a PDF and it parses text and graphics layers locally, highlights text runs that are covered by black rectangles but still extractable, and offers a one-click true flatten. It also checks hidden layers and metadata.

Users

Lawyers, journalists, HR, government/legal staff, security and compliance roles

MVP

Local PDF drag-in and parsing; detect black-box text and hidden layers; highlight suspicious regions; export cleaned PDF; fully offline

Revenue

Free single-file checks, $12/mo for batch and automation; team licenses for law firms and newsrooms

Why now

Remote work flooded PDF sharing, most people don't know redaction isn't deletion, and front-end parsing libraries are now mature enough