MOBILE DEVICE TRACKING PREVENTION METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20150024787A1
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avast Software SRO (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AVG Netherlands B.V. (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Ben-Itzhak, Yuval, Levi, Shaul, Mironchyk, Pavel
• Granted Patent: US 9,813,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A mobile device tracking prevention method and system includes monitoring a mobile device for movement, determining whether an operating state of a wireless module of the mobile device should be adjusted when movement of the mobile device is detected, and controlling the operating state of the wireless module based on the determination. One or more of the actual geographic location of the mobile device, network IDs broadcasted by nearby network access points, and signal strengths of the access points as detected by the mobile device can be monitored to detect movement of the mobile device. Changes to any of these may be indicative of movement of the mobile device, which may serve as the basis for enabling or disabling the wireless module to prevent tracking of the mobile device without sacrificing user productivity.

Claims

1. A mobile device tracking prevention method, comprising:

using a mobile device to receive and monitor data being broadcasted via at least one network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the at least one network access point;

identifying changes to the broadcasted data to detect movement of the mobile device; and

automatically controlling an operating state of the wireless module based on the detected movement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving and monitoring the broadcasted data are effected via the wireless module.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasted data comprises at least one wireless network ID that each corresponds to a respective network access point of the at least one network access point.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one wireless network ID is a service set identifier (“

SSID”

).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying changes to the broadcasted data comprises identifying whether, within a predefined first time, at least one change occurs to at least one of:

(i) a number of networks IDs included in the broadcasted data and (ii) a strength of at least one access point signal carrying at least a portion of the broadcasted data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein automatically controlling the operating state of the wireless module comprises causing the wireless module to remain enabled in the absence of the at least one change.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein automatically controlling the operating state of the wireless module comprises causing the wireless module to be disabled when the at least one change occurs.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein causing comprises causing the wireless module to be disabled for only a predefined second time.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising causing the wireless module to be re-enabled after the predefined second time elapses.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, and a personal digital assistant.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless module is one of a Bluetooth, a WiFi, a GSM, and an NFC module.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one network access point is a WiFi access point.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the mobile device to present a user notification whenever the operating state of the wireless module is adjusted.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, and a personal digital assistant.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless module is one of a Bluetooth, a WiFi, a GSM, and an NFC module.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the trusted network access point is a trusted WiFi access point.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the mobile device to present a user notification whenever the operating state of the wireless module is adjusted.

14. A mobile device tracking prevention method, comprising:

monitoring the geographic location of a mobile device with respect to a signal coverage area of a trusted network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the trusted access point;

detecting changes to the geographic location of the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device has one of exited and entered the signal coverage area; and

automatically controlling an operating state of the wireless module based on the detected changes.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein monitoring the geographic location of the mobile device is effected using at least one of a geographic positioning system (“

GPS”

), at least one accelerometer sensor, and at least one mobile cell attribute technique.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein automatically controlling the operating state of the wireless module comprises causing the wireless module to be enabled when the mobile device enters the signal coverage area.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein automatically controlling the operating state of the wireless module comprises causing the wireless module to be disabled when the mobile device exits the signal coverage area.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether the wireless module has been disabled for at least a predefined first time; and

causing the wireless module to be re-enabled when the wireless module has been disabled for at least the predefined first time.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising, after causing the wireless module to be re-enabled, identifying whether the wireless module accesses the trusted access point within a predefined second time.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising causing the wireless module to be disabled if the wireless module fails to access the trusted access point within the predefined second time.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising, during access to the trusted access point by the wireless module, storing the geographic location of the mobile device as an in-range location.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein detecting changes to the geographic location is based on the in-range location.

27. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory medium storing computer executable program logic to cause at least one data processing device of a mobile device to:

receive and monitor data being broadcasted via at least one network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the at least one network access point;

identify changes to the broadcasted data to detect movement of the mobile device; and

automatically control an operating state of the wireless module based on the detected movement.

28. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory medium storing computer executable program logic to cause at least one data processing device of a mobile device to:

monitor the geographic location of the mobile device with respect to a signal coverage area of a trusted network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the trusted access point;

detect changes to the geographic location of the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device has one of exited and entered the signal coverage area; and

automatically control an operating state of the wireless module based on the detected changes.

29. A mobile device tracking prevention system, comprising:

at least one data processing device of a mobile device, configured to;

receive and monitor data being broadcasted via at least one network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the at least one network access point;

identify changes to the broadcasted data to detect movement of the mobile device; and

automatically control an operating state of the wireless module based on the detected movement.

30. A mobile device tracking prevention system, comprising:

at least one data processing device of a mobile device, configured to;

monitor the geographic location of the mobile device with respect to a signal coverage area of a trusted network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the trusted network access point;

detect changes to the geographic location of the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device has one of exited and entered the signal coverage area; and

automatically control an operating state of the wireless module based on the detected changes.