Security Systems and Methods for Encoding and Decoding Digital Content

• US 20180268169A1
• Filed: 05/21/2018
• Published: 09/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ESW Holdings, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: ESW Holdings, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Inventors: Sprague, Steven, Sprague, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,552,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Systems and methods may be provided for masking data on public networks. At a publishing node, the system may monitor data input fields in a webpage, and intercept and encode content, such as text, images, and video input at the data input fields, prior to the content being posted online on a public service provider'"'"'s website. A policy may be defined to control which users are permitted access to a key to decode the encoded content. The policy may defer to a third party policy node in determining key access. An account for a controlling entity, such as a guardian or employer, may be configured to control the encoding status of posts made by another. The controlling entity may control who has key access to decode posts made by the other account. The guardian account may be configured to have preemptive rights over posting decisions made by the minor.

Claims

1. A method of controlling digital content, the method comprising:

receiving a request to publish digital content received at an input field in an electronic document, where the publishing request is associated with a first user node;

in response to the publishing request, determining whether to encode the input field content in the electronic document; and

receiving instructions to replace, in the electronic document, the input field content with an encoded version of the input field content based on a policy defined by a controlling entity.

2-22. -22. (canceled)