Selectively obscuring private information based on contextual information

• US 10,311,249 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharifi, Matthew, Foerster, Jakob Nicolaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Bechtel, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US15/476,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20180285592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/032 Protect output to user by software means

Abstract

A method includes determining, based at least in part on a type of information to be displayed at a display device associated with a computing device, a privacy level for the information to be displayed; and determining whether the privacy level satisfies a threshold privacy level. The method also includes, responsive to determining that the privacy level satisfies the threshold privacy level, determining whether an individual not associated with a currently active user account of the computing device is proximate to the display device. The method also includes determining an estimated speed of the individual not associated with the currently active user account relative to the display device. The method further includes determining, whether the estimated speed satisfies a threshold speed, and responsive to determining that the estimated speed satisfies the threshold speed, outputting the information such that at least a first portion of the information is obscured.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, based at least in part on a type of information to be displayed at a display device associated with a computing device, a privacy level for the information to be displayed;

determining, by the one or more processors, that the privacy level satisfies a threshold privacy level;

determining, by the one or more processors, based on sensor data generated by at least one sensor associated with the computing device, that an individual not associated with a currently active user account of the computing device is proximate to the display device;

determining, by the one or more processors, based at least in part on the sensor data, an estimated speed of the individual not associated with the currently active user account relative to the display device;

determining, by the one or more processors, that the estimated speed satisfies a threshold speed; and

outputting, by the one or more processors, for display at the display device, the information such that at least a first portion of the information is obscured.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, an estimated distance between the display device and the individual not associated with the currently active user account; and

determining, by the one or more processors, based on the estimated distance, the threshold speed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold speed is inversely proportional to the estimated distance between the display device and the individual not associated with the currently active user account.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, based at least in part on the determined privacy level, an obfuscation level for the first portion of the information,

wherein outputting the first portion of the information comprises outputting, by the one or more processors, the first portion of the information based on the obfuscation level for the first portion of the information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, based at least in part on the determined privacy level, an obfuscation level for at least a third portion of the information, wherein the obfuscation level for the first portion of the information is different than the obfuscation level for the third portion of the information; and

outputting, by the one or more processors, for display at the display device, based on the obfuscation level for the third portion of the information, the third portion of the information such that the third portion of the information is obscured in a manner different compared to how the first portion of the information is obscured.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold privacy level is based on a location of the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after outputting the first portion of the information, receiving, by the one or more processors, an indication of a user input selecting the first portion of the information;

determining, by the one or more processors, that the user input corresponds to a command to display the first portion of information without obscuring the first portion of information; and

outputting, by the one or more processors, the first portion of the information such that the first portion of information is no longer obscured.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, by the one or more processors, the first portion of the information such that the first portion of the information is not obscured; and

after outputting the first portion of the information such that the first portion of the information is not obscured, determining, by the one or more processors, an amount of elapsed time since outputting the first portion of the information,

wherein outputting the first portion of the information such that the first portion of the information is obscured is responsive to determining the amount of elapsed time satisfies a threshold amount of time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated speed of the individual not associated with the currently active user account includes determining a first estimated speed of the individual at a first time, the method further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, based at least in part on the sensor data, at a second time, a second estimated speed of the individual not associated with the currently active user account relative to the display device;

determining, by the one or more processors, that the second estimated speed does not satisfy the threshold speed; and

outputting, by the one or more processors, for display at the display device, at least a second portion of the information.

10. A computing device comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine, based at least in part on a type of information to be displayed at a display device associated with the computing device, a privacy level for the information to be displayed;

determine whether the privacy level satisfies a threshold privacy level; and

responsive to determining that the privacy level satisfies the threshold privacy level;

determine, based on sensor data generated by at least one sensor associated with the computing device, whether an individual not associated with a currently active user account of the computing device is proximate to the display device;

responsive to determining the individual not associated with the currently active user account is proximate to the display device;

determine, based at least in part on the sensor data, an estimated speed of the individual not associated with the currently active user account relative to the display device;

determine whether the estimated speed satisfies a threshold speed;

responsive to determining that the estimated speed satisfies the threshold speed, output, for display at the display device, the information such that at least a first portion of the information is obscured; and

responsive to determining that the estimated speed does not satisfy the threshold speed, output, for display at the display device, the information.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

determine an estimated distance between the display device and the individual not associated with the currently active user account; and

determine based on the estimated distance, the threshold speed.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the threshold speed is inversely proportional to the estimated distance between the display device and the individual not associated with the currently active user account.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

responsive to determining that the privacy level does not satisfy the threshold privacy level, output, for display at the display device, the information.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

determine, based at least in part on the determined privacy level, an obfuscation level for the first portion of the information, and

output the first portion of the information based on the obfuscation level for the first portion of the information.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

determine, based at least in part on the determined privacy level, an obfuscation level for at least a third portion of the information, wherein the obfuscation level for the first portion of the information is different than the obfuscation level for the third portion of the information; and

output, for display at the display device, based on the obfuscation level for the third portion of the information, the third portion of the information such that the third portion of the information is obscured in a manner different compared to how the first portion of the information is obscured.

16. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the threshold privacy level is based on a location of the computing device.

17. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

after outputting the first portion of the information, receive an indication of a user input selecting the first portion of the information;

determine that the user input corresponds to a command to display the first portion of information without obscuring the first portion of information; and

output the first portion of the information such that the first portion of information is no longer obscured.

18. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

further responsive to determining that the estimated speed satisfies the threshold speed;

output the first portion of the information such that the first portion of the information is not obscured; and

after outputting the first portion of the information such that the first portion of the information is not obscured, determining an amount of elapsed time since outputting the first portion of the information,

output the first portion of the information such that the first portion of the information is obscured in further response to determining the amount of elapsed time satisfies a threshold amount of time.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the at least one processor to:

determine, based at least in part on a type of information to be displayed at a display device associated with the computing device, a privacy level for the information to be displayed;

determine whether the privacy level satisfies a threshold privacy level; and

responsive to determining that the privacy level satisfies the threshold privacy level;

determine, based on sensor data generated by at least one sensor associated with the computing device, whether an individual not associated with a currently active user account of the computing device is proximate to the display device;

responsive to determining the individual not associated with the currently active user account is proximate to the display device;

determine, based at least in part on the sensor data, an estimated speed of the individual not associated with the currently active user account relative to the display device;

determine whether the estimated speed satisfies a threshold speed;

responsive to determining that the estimated speed satisfies the threshold speed, output, for display at the display device, the information such that at least a first portion of the information is obscured; and

responsive to determining that the estimated speed does not satisfy the threshold speed, output, for display at the display device, the information.