Can a provisional application be published or made public?

No, provisional applications are not published or made public by the USPTO. According to MPEP 201.04:

A provisional application is not subject to publication and is not published.

This confidentiality can be advantageous for inventors who want to secure a filing date while keeping their invention details private. However, it’s important to note that while the USPTO doesn’t publish provisional applications, the content may become public if referenced in a later-published nonprovisional application claiming its benefit.

For more information on provisional application, visit: provisional application.