Monitoring and Managing User Privacy Levels

• US 20160241587A1
• Filed: 04/21/2016
• Published: 08/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gjonej, Gerard, Li, Ying
• Granted Patent: US 9,807,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Various embodiments pertain to techniques for measuring a user'"'"'s privacy level as a user interacts with various web services. In various embodiments, entities with which the user interacts are detected and sensitive information shared by the user is logged to determine what a given entity knows about the user. In some embodiments, sensitive information that is shared by a user can be processed using a predictive algorithm to ascertain a user'"'"'s level of privacy. When a user'"'"'s identity is predicted by the algorithm, a user can be alerted to the loss of anonymity. In various embodiments, user-defined areas of anonymity can be used to measure a user'"'"'s definition of privacy. In some embodiments, alerts can also be provided to the user when a new, previously undisclosed, piece of information is shared by the user.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory comprising instructions stored thereon that when executed by at least one processor cause at least one processor to perform acts for protecting privacy in computer data transmissions in the computer system, with the acts comprising;

monitoring, via the computer system, computer data traffic between one or more executable computer modules running on a client computer device, and one or more server computer devices with which the one or more executable computer modules is communicating over a computer network;

detecting, via the computer system, a privacy risk based on the monitoring of the data traffic; and

in response to the detecting of the privacy risk, engaging, via the computer system, a privacy mode for the one or more executable modules, with the engaging of the privacy mode modifying at least one of the following;

a behavior of the one or more executable modules, and a configuration of the one or more executable modules.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more executable modules comprise a Web browser and a Web browser plug-in.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the privacy risk comprises detecting an entity.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the entity is a computer service that is located remotely from the client device.

5. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the entity comprises a computer search service that is located remotely from the client device.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the engaging of the privacy mode modifies a behavior of the one or more executable modules.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the engaging of the privacy mode modifies a configuration of the one or more executable modules.

8. A computer-implemented method of protecting privacy in computer data transmissions in a computer system, the method comprising:

monitoring, via a computer system, computer data traffic between one or more executable computer modules running on a client computer device, and one or more server computer devices with which the one or more executable computer modules is communicating over a computer network;

detecting, via the computer system, a privacy risk based on the monitoring of the data traffic; and

in response to the detecting of the privacy risk, engaging, via the computer system, a privacy mode for the one or more executable modules, with the engaging of the privacy mode modifying at least one of the following;

a behavior of the one or more executable modules, and a configuration of the one or more executable modules.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more executable modules comprise a Web browser and a Web browser plug-in.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the detecting of the privacy risk comprises detecting an entity.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the entity is a computer service that is located remotely from the client device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the entity comprises a computer search service that is located remotely from the client device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the engaging of the privacy mode modifies a behavior of the one or more executable modules.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the engaging of the privacy mode modifies a configuration of the one or more executable modules.

15. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory comprising instructions stored thereon that when executed by at least one processor cause at least one processor to perform acts for protecting privacy in computer data transmissions in the computer system, with the acts comprising;

monitoring, via a computer system, computer data traffic between one or more executable computer modules running on a client computer device, and one or more server computer devices with which the one or more executable computer modules is communicating over a computer network;

detecting, via the computer system, an entity with which the one or more executable computer modules is communicating, based on the monitoring of the data traffic; and

in response to the detecting of the entity, engaging, via the computer system, a privacy mode for the one or more executable modules, with the engaging of the privacy mode modifying a behavior of the one or more executable modules.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the one or more executable modules comprise a Web browser and a Web browser plug-in.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the entity is a computer service that is located remotely from the client device.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the entity comprises a computer search service that is located remotely from the client device.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the engaging of the privacy mode modifies a configuration of the one or more executable modules.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the one or more executable modules comprise a Web browser and a Web browser plug-in, and wherein the entity comprises a computer search service that is located remotely from the client device.