SwiftyHosts — Privacy Policy
Effective date: 2026-01-01 Last updated: 2026-01-01
Plain-English summary SwiftyHosts is a native macOS utility for editing
/etc/hosts. It runs entirely on your Mac. We do not collect, store, transmit, or sell any personal information. We do not include any analytics, telemetry, advertising, or third-party tracking SDKs. The only network requests SwiftyHosts ever makes are downloads of the Remote Hosts URLs you yourself configure.
1. Who we are
SwiftyHosts ("the App") is developed by SwiftyTool ("we", "us", "our").
Contact: support@swiftytool.com Website: https://swiftytool.com
This Privacy Policy explains what data the App handles and how.
2. Data we collect
None. We do not collect any personal data, account information, device identifiers, IP addresses, crash logs, or usage analytics.
The App does not include:
- Google Analytics, Firebase, Mixpanel, Sentry, AppCenter, or any other analytics / crash-reporting SDK
- Advertising frameworks
- Social-login or third-party authentication
- Newsletter or marketing signup
- Server-side accounts of any kind
3. Data the App handles locally on your Mac
All of the following stays on your computer and is never transmitted:
| Data | Where it is stored | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|
| Your Hosts schemes (name, content, settings) | ~/Library/Application Support/SwiftyHosts/ | The core feature of the App |
| App preferences (language, theme, write mode, etc.) | ~/Library/Preferences/com.swiftytool.SwiftyHosts.plist | UserDefaults |
A snapshot of your original /etc/hosts | Inside the App's Application Support folder | So the original can be restored |
| Post-apply command history (last 50 entries) | Same Application Support folder | Shown in the Commands history sheet |
| URLs of Remote schemes you add | Same Application Support folder | So we know what to refresh |
You can inspect or delete these files at any time via Finder, or through the Settings → Advanced → Reveal in Finder buttons inside the App.
4. Network activity
The App makes outbound HTTPS requests only when you have configured at least one Remote scheme. In that case, and only then, the App fetches the exact URL you entered, in order to update its content. Requests are made directly from your Mac to that URL using the system's URLSession.
We do not operate any backend server that the App talks to. No request is ever sent to a domain we control.
If you have configured a proxy under Settings → Proxy, those Remote-scheme requests will go through that proxy.
5. The Privileged Helper
To write to /etc/hosts (which requires root permission on macOS), the App installs a small Privileged Helper Tool through Apple's SMAppService API after you grant administrator authorisation in the standard macOS authorisation dialog.
The Helper:
- Runs only on your Mac
- Performs only file operations on
/etc/hostsand (optionally) the post-apply shell command you configured yourself - Does not make any network connection
- Does not transmit anything anywhere
- Can be uninstalled at any time
6. Payment data
SwiftyHosts is currently distributed free of charge and does not collect any payment information. If a paid edition is introduced in the future, payment will be handled by an established third-party provider (e.g. Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Gumroad), whose privacy policy will govern that transaction. Even then, we would only receive the minimum information needed to deliver your license (typically email address and order ID), and would never store credit-card or banking data ourselves.
7. Children's privacy
The App is not directed at children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect data from children.
8. Your rights
Because we do not collect personal data, there is nothing for us to access, correct, export, or delete on your behalf. Any data the App stores is on your own Mac and under your full control. To remove every trace of the App, drag SwiftyHosts to the Trash and delete:
~/Library/Application Support/SwiftyHosts/~/Library/Preferences/com.swiftytool.SwiftyHosts.plist/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.swiftytool.SwiftyHosts.Helper.plist(Helper)/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.swiftytool.SwiftyHosts.Helper(Helper)
9. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the "Last updated" date above and post the new version at the same URL. Material changes will be noted in the App's release notes.
10. Contact
Questions or concerns: support@swiftytool.com
This document is provided as a starting template and is not legal advice. Have it reviewed by a lawyer before publishing if you operate in a jurisdiction with strict consumer-protection or data-protection laws (EU/UK GDPR, California CCPA, etc.).