Method for Protecting Terminal Location Information and Intelligent Terminal

• US 20170223527A1
• Filed: 04/19/2017
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wei, He, Zhai, Zhengde, Shen, Yu
• Granted Patent: US 10,178,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

A method for protecting intelligent terminal location information is provided, where the method includes: responding to a location query request from an APP, and acquiring current location coordinates of the intelligent terminal; acquiring a privacy sensitivity level of an area in which the current location coordinates are located; acquiring a location trust level of the APP; and obtaining, according to the location trust level of the APP and the privacy sensitivity level of the area in which the current location coordinates are located, a response manner corresponding to the location query request from the APP. In addition, some embodiments of the present application further disclose an intelligent terminal.

Claims

1. A method for protecting intelligent terminal location information, comprising:

responding to a location query request from an application (APP), and acquiring current location coordinates of an intelligent terminal, wherein the APP is installed in an operating system running on the intelligent terminal;

acquiring a privacy sensitivity level of an area in which the current location coordinates are located, wherein the privacy sensitivity level of the area in which the current location coordinates are located corresponds to a difficulty level of obtaining the current location coordinates by the APP, and wherein a higher privacy sensitivity level of the area in which the current location coordinates are located indicates a higher difficulty level of obtaining the current location coordinates by the APP;

acquiring a location trust level of the APP, wherein the location trust level of the APP corresponds to the difficulty level of obtaining the current location coordinates by the APP, and wherein a higher location trust level of the APP indicates a lower difficulty level of obtaining the current location coordinates by the APP; and

obtaining, according to the location trust level of the APP and the privacy sensitivity level of the area in which the current location coordinates are located, a response manner corresponding to the location query request from the APP.

2. The method for protecting intelligent terminal location information according to claim 1, wherein acquiring the location trust level of the APP further comprises obtaining the location trust level of the APP according to a source of the APP and a user identity inference capability of the APP, wherein the user identity inference capability of the APP indicates a capability of the APP for identifying a user identity of the intelligent terminal.

3. The method for protecting intelligent terminal location information according to claim 2, wherein obtaining the location trust level of the APP according to the source of the APP and the user identity inference capability of the APP further comprises calculating the location trust level of the APP according to a formula T=p*m+q*(1−

n), wherein T indicates the location trust level of the APP, wherein m is a real number within a range [0,1] and indicates a trust degree assigned to the source of the APP, wherein n is a real number, belongs to [0,1], and indicates the user identity inference capability of the APP, wherein p is a real number and belongs to [0,1], wherein q is a real number and belongs to [0,1], and p+q=1, and wherein p and q respectively indicate a coefficient used for the trust degree assigned to the source of the APP in calculating the location trust level of the APP and a coefficient used for the user identity inference capability of the APP in calculating the location trust level of the APP.

4. The method for protecting intelligent terminal location information according to claim 1, wherein obtaining, according to the location trust level of the APP and the privacy sensitivity level of the area in which the current location coordinates are located, the response manner corresponding to the location query request from the APP comprises:

calculating, according to a formula s=(1−

T)*L, a comprehensive sensitivity value s of the current location coordinates that are of the intelligent terminal and that are requested to query by the APP, wherein * indicates multiplication, wherein T indicates the location trust level of the APP, and wherein L indicates the privacy sensitivity level of the area in which the current location coordinates are located;

comparing the comprehensive sensitivity value s of the current location coordinates with a preset threshold;

returning the real current location coordinates when s<

M; and

imposing a limitation on the response manner for the location query request from the APP when s>

=M.

5. The method for protecting intelligent terminal location information according to claim 1, wherein imposing the limitation on the response manner for the location query request from the APP comprises rejecting the location query request from the APP.

6. The method for protecting intelligent terminal location information according to claim 1, wherein imposing the limitation on the response manner for the location query request from the APP comprises reminding a user of the intelligent terminal that the APP is attempting to access a current location.

7. The method for protecting intelligent terminal location information according to claim 1, wherein imposing the limitation on the response manner for the location query request from the APP comprises performing logging for a current access behavior of the APP.

8. The method for protecting intelligent terminal location information according to claim 1, wherein imposing the limitation on the response manner for the location query request from the APP comprises returning false location coordinates to the APP, wherein the false location coordinates are any one of randomly generated location coordinates, coordinates of a location near a current location, and coordinates indicating a relatively large area in which the current location is located.

9. An intelligent terminal, comprising:

a memory storing executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

respond to a location query request from an application (APP), and

acquire current location coordinates of the intelligent terminal, wherein the APP is installed in an operating system running on the intelligent terminal;

acquire a privacy sensitivity level of an area in which the current location coordinates are located, wherein the privacy sensitivity level of the area in which the current location coordinates are located corresponds to a difficulty level of obtaining the current location coordinates by the APP, and wherein a higher privacy sensitivity level of the area in which the current location coordinates are located indicates a higher difficulty level of obtaining the current location coordinates by the APP;

acquire a location trust level of the APP, wherein the location trust level of the APP corresponds to the difficulty level of obtaining the current location coordinates by the APP, and wherein a higher location trust level of the APP indicates a lower difficulty level of obtaining the current location coordinates by the APP; and

obtain, according to the location trust level of the APP and the privacy sensitivity level of the area in which the current location coordinates are located, a response manner corresponding to the location query request from the APP.

10. The intelligent terminal according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the location trust level of the APP according to a formula T=p*m+q*(1−

n), wherein T indicates the location trust level of the APP, wherein m is a real number, belongs to [0,1], and indicates a trust degree assigned to a source of the APP, wherein n is a real number, belongs to [0,1], and indicates a user identity inference capability of the APP, wherein p is a real number and belongs to [0,1], wherein q is a real number and belongs to [0,1], and p+q=1, and wherein p and q respectively indicate a coefficient used for the trust degree assigned to the source of the APP in calculating the location trust level of the APP and a coefficient used for the user identity inference capability of the APP in calculating the location trust level of the APP.

11. The intelligent terminal according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

calculate, according to a formula s=(1−

T)*L, a comprehensive sensitivity value s of the current location coordinates of the intelligent terminal, wherein * indicates multiplication, wherein T indicates the location trust level of the APP, and wherein L indicates the privacy sensitivity level of the area in which the current location coordinates are located; and

compare the comprehensive sensitivity value s of the current location coordinates with a preset threshold;

return the real current location coordinates when s<

M; and

impose a limitation on the response manner for the location query request from the APP when s>

=M.

12. The intelligent terminal according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to return false location coordinates to the APP, wherein the false location coordinates are any one of randomly generated location coordinates, coordinates of a location near the current location, and coordinates indicating a relatively large area in which the current location is located.

13. The intelligent terminal according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to perform logging for a current access behavior of the APP.

14. The intelligent terminal according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to reject the location query request from the APP.

15. The intelligent terminal according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to remind a user of the intelligent terminal that the APP is attempting to access a current location.