Automatic Removal of Sensitive Information from a Computer Screen

• US 20110202850A1
• Filed: 02/17/2010
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zhou, Wei, Tsang, Andrew, To, Tin H., Chan, Yuk
• Granted Patent: US 8,863,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen

Abstract

A method for automatic censoring of a graphical user interface (GUI) screen includes receiving a censoring trigger by a censoring module; identifying information present in the GUI screen by a object recognition module; comparing the identified information with a set of preferences stored in a censoring preferences module to determine content to be removed from the GUI screen; and removing the determined content from the GUI screen by the censoring module.

Claims

1. A method for automatic censoring of a graphical user interface (GUI) screen, the method comprising:

receiving a censoring trigger by a censoring module;

identifying information present in the GUI screen by an object recognition module;

comparing the identified information with a set of preferences stored in a censoring preferences module to determine content to be removed from the GUI screen; and

removing the determined content from the GUI screen by the censoring module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the censoring trigger comprises a button push by a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the censoring trigger comprises a notification from a webcam that someone other than a specified user is viewing the GUI screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the censoring trigger comprises a screen share.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the screen share comprises sharing a region of the GUI screen that is less than the entire GUI screen, and wherein content is removed from the screen share based on information located outside of the region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the censoring trigger comprises launching a presentation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified information comprises metadata, and content is removed from the GUI screen based on the metadata.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified information comprises a first image, and the preferences comprise a second image;

and

wherein the first image is removed from the GUI screen by the censoring module if the first image is determined to be similar to the second image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein removing the determined content comprises minimizing a window comprising the content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein removing the determined content comprises closing a window comprising the content.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the identified information to a user, receiving a selection from the user of a piece of the identified information, and removing the selected piece of the identified information from the GUI screen.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing the selected piece of information in the censoring preferences module.

13. A system for automatic censoring of a graphical user interface (GUI) screen, the system comprising:

a censoring module configured to receive a censoring trigger;

an object recognition module configured to identify information present in the GUI screen; and

a censoring preferences module configured store a set of preferences regarding content to be removed from the GUI screen;

wherein the censoring module is further configured to compare the identified information with the set of preferences to determine content to be removed from the GUI screen, and to remove the determined content from the GUI screen.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the censoring trigger comprises a button push by a user.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the censoring trigger comprises a notification from a webcam that someone other than a specified user is viewing the GUI screen.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the censoring trigger comprises a screen share.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the screen share comprises sharing a region of the GUI screen that is less than the entire GUI screen, and wherein censoring module is configured to remove content from the GUI screen share based on information located outside of the region.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the identified information comprises metadata, and the censoring module is configured to remove content from the GUI screen based on the metadata.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the identified information comprises a first image, and the preferences comprise a second image;

and

wherein the censoring module is configured to remove the first image from the GUI screen if the first image is determined to be similar to the second image.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein removing the determined content comprises minimizing a window comprising the content.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein removing the determined content comprises closing a window comprising the content.

22. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium containing computer code that, when executed by a computer, implements a method for automatic screen censoring, wherein the method comprises:

receiving a censoring trigger by a censoring module;

identifying information present in the GUI screen by a object recognition module;

comparing the identified information with a set of preferences stored in a censoring preferences module to determine content to be removed from the GUI screen; and

removing the determined content from the GUI screen.

23. The computer program product according to claim 22, wherein the censoring trigger comprises a button push by a user.

24. The computer program product according to claim 22, wherein the censoring trigger comprises a notification from a webcam that someone other than a specified user is viewing the GUI screen.

25. The computer program product according to claim 22, wherein the censoring trigger comprises a screen share.