Web filtering system and method

• US 10,609,078 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Securly, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Securly, Inc.
• Inventors: Mahadik, Vinay, Madhusudan, Bharath, Katcher, Paul, Nguyen, Due, Chikate, Nikita, Patekar, Amar
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shin-Hon (Eric)
• Application Number:
  US15/449,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A system and method for web filtering, including: generating an institutional policy dashboard that enables an institution that issued a computing device to a minor user to select a set of institutional web access policies sanctioned by the institution; generating a parental policy dashboard that enables a parent of the minor user to select to a set of parental web access policies sanctioned by the parent; filtering web content accessed by the minor user via the computing device by enforcing the parental and the institutional web access policies; and reporting to the parent a set of web accesses undertaken by the minor user via the computing device.

Claims

1. A web filtering mechanism, comprising:

a computer having a processor, memory and a plurality of instructions configured to;

select, using an institutional policy dashboard, a set of institutional web access policies sanctioned by the institution for a computing device of a minor user;

select, using a parental policy dashboard, a set of parental web access policies sanctioned by a parent of the minor user;

filter, using a web filter, a piece of web content accessed by the minor user via the computing device by enforcing the set of parental and institutional web access policies for the computing device;

extract text associated with the piece of content accessed by the minor user;

detect, by an urgency module, a potential for physical harm to the minor user by examining one of keywords and phrases in the extracted text associated with the piece of content accessed by the minor user; and

enable the parent to establish a trust relationship by logging in using a set of credentials issued to the minor user by the institution and send a respective email to the minor user and the parent and the institution in response to a login by the parent.

2. The web filtering mechanism of claim 1, wherein the computer is further configured to provide a current geographic location of the computing device to the web filter such that the web filter adapts the parental web access policies and the institutional web access policies to the current geographic location.

3. The web filtering mechanism of claim 2, wherein the computer is further configured to determine the current geographic location using one of an IP address of the computing device, a web-based geo-location service and a GPS device in the computing device.

4. The web filtering mechanism of claim 2, wherein the computer is further configured to record a geographic location for each web access undertaken by the minor user using the computing device when outside of the institution.

5. The web filtering mechanism of claim 4, wherein the computer is further configured to generate an activity report for the parent in response to each web access and the geographic location recorded in the activity log.

6. A method for web filtering, comprising:

providing a set of institutional web access policies sanctioned by the institution for a computing device of a minor user and a set of parental web access policies sanctioned by a parent of the minor user;

receiving an access to a piece of web content by the minor user using the computing device;

filtering, using a web filter, the piece of web by enforcing the set of parental and institutional web access policies for the computing device;

extracting text associated with the piece of content accessed by the minor user;

detecting, by an urgency module, a potential for physical harm to the minor user by examining one of keywords and phrases in the extracted text associated with the piece of content accessed by the minor user; and

enabling the parent to establish a trust relationship by logging in using a set of credentials issued to the minor user by the institution and send a respective email to the minor user and the parent and the institution in response to a login by the parent.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a current geographic location of the computing device to the web filter and adapting the parental web access policies and the institutional web access policies to the current geographic location.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising determining the current geographic location using one of an IP address of the computing device, a web-based geo-location service and a GPS device in the computing device.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising recording a geographic location for each web access undertaken by the minor user using the computing device when outside of the institution.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising generating an activity report for the parent in response to each web access and the geographic location recorded in the activity log.