DATA PROXY SERVICE

• US 20150235043A1
• Filed: 02/19/2014
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Haik, Fadi, Bar, Nadav
• Granted Patent: US 9,697,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for deploying an application according to a data access profile used to sandbox the application. For example, an event planner app may be identified for download from an app store. A deployment mock data configuration interface may be presented to a user prior to or as a preliminary operation of downloading and/or installing the event planner app. A data access profile, specifying that the event planner app has access to user age data, but is blocked from accessing user phone number data, for example, may be received through the deployment mock data configuration interface. The event planner app may thus be deployed in a sandbox mode on the device based upon the data access profile (e.g., real age data may be provided to the event planner app whereas mock phone number data may be provided to the event planner app).

Claims

1. A method for deploying an application according to a data access profile used to sandbox the application, comprising:

identifying an application for deployment on a device associated with a user;

presenting a deployment mock data configuration interface to the user responsive to the identifying;

receiving, through the deployment mock data configuration interface, a data access profile for the application, the data access profile specifying that the application has access to a first data type of user data, that the application is blocked from accessing a second data type of user data and that the application is to receive mock data for the second data type of user data; and

deploying the application in a sandbox mode on the device based upon the data access profile.

2. The method of claim 1, the deploying comprising acquiring the application from an app store.

3. The method of claim 1, the deploying comprising installing the application on the device.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

intercepting a data request from the application executing in the sandbox mode, the data request requesting access to first user data;

identifying the data access profile used to sandbox the application;

responsive to determining that the first user data corresponds to the first data type, providing the application with the first user data based upon the data access profile; and

responsive to determining that the first user data corresponds to the second data type, providing the application with first mock data based upon the data access profile.

5. A method for selectively providing data to an application, comprising:

intercepting a data request from an application deployed on a device in a sandbox mode according to a data access profile, the data request requesting access to first user data, the data access profile specifying that the application has access to a first data type of user data, that the application is blocked from accessing a second data type of user data and that the application is to receive mock data for the second data type of user data;

identifying the data access profile used to sandbox the application;

responsive to determining that the first user data corresponds to the first data type, providing the application with the first user data based upon the data access profile; and

responsive to determining that the first user data corresponds to the second data type, providing the application with first mock data based upon the data access profile.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

presenting a deployment mock data configuration interface to a user prior to deployment of the application on the device; and

receiving the data access profile through the deployment mock data configuration interface prior to deployment of the application on the device.

7. The method of claim 5, comprising:

updating the data access profile based upon user input after deployment of the application on the device.

8. The method of claim 5, the providing the application with the first user data comprising:

forwarding the data request to a provider of the first user data.

9. The method of claim 5, the first user data comprising at least one of contact data, social network data, browsing history data, user file data, user profile data, financial data, health data, network access data, email access data, cellular access data, or subscription data.

10. The method of claim 5, the first mock data comprising data that is different than the first user data.

11. The method of claim 5, the first mock data comprising at least one of a default value or a user specified mock value.

12. The method of claim 5, the intercepting the data request comprising:

intercepting an application programming interface (API) call comprising the data request.

13. The method of claim 5, the providing the application with first mock data comprising:

identifying mock data having the first data type; and

providing the mock data as the first mock data to the application.

14. A system for deploying an application according to a data access profile used to sandbox the application, comprising:

a data proxy service component configured to;

identify an application for deployment on a device associated with a user;

present a deployment mock data configuration interface to the user responsive to the identifying;

receive, through the deployment mock data configuration interface, a data access profile for the application, the data access profile specifying that the application has access to a first data type of user data, that the application is blocked from accessing a second data type of user data and that the application is to receive mock data for the second data type of user data; and

deploy the application in a sandbox mode on the device based upon the data access profile.

15. The system of claim 14, the data proxy service component configured to:

intercept a data request from the application executing in the sandbox mode, the data request requesting access to first user data;

identify the data access profile used to sandbox the application;

responsive to determining that the first user data corresponds to the first data type, providing the application with the first user data based upon the data access profile; and

responsive to determining that the first user data corresponds to the second data type, providing the application with first mock data based upon the data access profile.

16. The system of claim 15, the data proxy service component configured to:

intercept the data request from an application programming interface (API) call.

17. The system of claim 14, the data proxy service component comprising an operating system component of an operating system.

18. The system of claim 14, the data proxy service component configured to:

forward the data request to a provider of the first user data upon determining that the first user data corresponds to the first data type.

19. The system of claim 14, the first mock data comprising data that is different than the first user data.

20. The system of claim 14, the data proxy service component configured to:

identify mock data having the first data type upon determining that the first user data corresponds to the second data type; and

provide the mock data as the first mock data to the application.