Privacy enhanced browser

• US 20080235623A1
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Richard Ding
• Granted Patent: US 8,763,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/817
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A method and apparatus for filtering user identifying information. A user request for content is received, the request including user identifying information. A determination is made as to whether the user request satisfies context criteria. If the user request satisfies the context criteria, the user identifying information is filtered out from the user request. The filtered request is then sent to a content provider.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a user request for content, the user request comprising user identifying information;

determining whether the user request satisfies context criteria;

filtering out the user identifying information from the user request when the context criteria are satisfied; and

sending the filtered request to a content provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the content provider has specific characteristics.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the specific characteristics include a website type.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the website type includes at least one of a search site, a corporate website, a blog site, a commerce site, a database site, and a pornography site.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the specific characteristics includes a degree of trustworthiness.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the user request was made in association with a search function.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if at least one of the user identifying information and the user request for content were received under specific conditions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user identifying information includes at least one of a cookie, a referrer header, a browser identifier, a pixel tag, and an IP address.

9. A machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:

receiving a user request for content, the user request comprising user identifying information;

determining whether the user request satisfies context criteria;

filtering out the user identifying information from the user request when the context criteria are satisfied; and

sending the filtered request to a content provider.

10. The machine-accessible medium of claim 9, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the content provider has specific characteristics.

11. The machine-accessible medium of claim 10, wherein one of the specific characteristics includes a website type.

12. The machine-accessible medium of claim 11, wherein the website type includes at least one of a search site, a corporate website, a blog site, a commerce site, a database site, and a pornography site.

13. The machine-accessible medium of claim 9, wherein one of the specific characteristics includes a degree of trustworthiness.

14. The machine-accessible medium of claim 9, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the user request was made in association with a search function.

15. The machine-accessible medium of claim 9, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if at least one of the user identifying information and the user request for content were received under specific conditions.

16. The machine-accessible medium of claim 9, wherein the user identifying information includes at least one of a cookie, a browser identifier, a pixel tag, a referrer header and an IP address.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a data store to store user identifying information; and

a filtering logic configured to determine whether a user request for content satisfies context criteria, the user request comprising the user identifying information, and to filter out the user identifying information from the user request if the context criteria are satisfied.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the content provider has specific characteristics.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the user request was made in association with a search function.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the user identifying information includes at least one of a cookie, a browser identifier, a pixel tag, a referrer header and an IP address.