TECHNIQUES TO POLLUTE ELECTRONIC PROFILING

• US 20120233703A1
• Filed: 05/24/2012
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Carter, Stephen R.
• Application Number:
  US13/479,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233703A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

Techniques to pollute electronic profiling are provided. A cloned identity is created for a principal. Areas of interest are assigned to the cloned identity, where a number of the areas of interest are divergent from true interests of the principal. One or more actions are automatically processed in response to the assigned areas of interest. The actions appear to network eavesdroppers to be associated with the principal and not with the cloned identity.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable implemented method to process on a device, comprising:

identifying, by the device, time intervals and dates that a principal is likely to be logged into a network;

determining, by the device, that the principal is not logged into the network during the time intervals and the dates; and

performing, by the device, actions over the network pretending to be the principal and by using a cloned identity for the principal, the actions taken are divergent from areas of interest associated with a true identity of the principal and the actions taken during the time intervals and dates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying further includes receiving some of the time intervals and the dates from the principal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying further includes determining some of the time intervals and the dates based on a schedule associated with the principal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying further includes determining some of the time intervals based on a time of day and a holiday date.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing further includes restricting performance of any action that is identified with undesirable content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing further includes selecting the actions to pollute information gathered by a potential eavesdropper to the network or to the principal.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising, adding, by the device, additional actions for new areas of interest for the cloned identity based on performance of and responses from the actions.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising, removing, by the device, some of the actions that are performed based on newly detected areas of interest for the principal.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, halting, by the device, performance of the actions when detection is made that the principal has logged onto the network.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable implemented method to process on a device, comprising:

determining, by the device, first times and dates that a principal is likely to be logged onto a network performing principal actions;

identifying, by the device, second times and dates that the principal is unlikely to be logged onto the network;

performing, by the device, automated actions during the first times and dates on behalf of the principal when the principal is not logged onto the network and not performing the principal actions and using a cloned identity for the principal, the automated actions are based on divergent areas of interest for the principal.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising, ensuring the automated actions are not performed during the second times and dates.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying further includes recognizing the second times and dates as situations where the principal is unavailable for accessing the network.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein performing further includes including some legitimate identity information for the principal in the cloned identity.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein performing further includes generating the divergent areas of interest based on known areas of interest for the principal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein generating further includes automatically deriving the areas of interest by monitoring the principal actions when the principal is logged onto the network during the first times and dates.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein automatically deriving further includes updating the divergent areas of interest based on the principal actions when the principal is logged onto the network during the first times and dates.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein automatically deriving further includes obtaining some of the areas of interest from a browser history or browser cache of the principal.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein performing further includes using the device as a particular device not used by the principal when the principal is logged onto the network during the first times and dates.

19. A system, comprising:

a processing device configured with a cloning agent that is implemented as executable instructions within a non-transitory computer-readable medium and that executes on the processing device;

the cloning agent configured to automatically perform actions over a network as a cloned identity for a principal, the actions configured to pollute information being gathered on the principal by a network eavesdropper and the cloning agent configured to not process ay actions when the principal is logged onto the network and when the principal is unlikely to be logged onto the network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the actions are based at least in part on divergent areas of interest from true areas of interest associated with a true identity of the principal.