Selective document redaction

• US 7,913,167 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cottrille, Scott C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mills; Frank D
• Application Number:
  US11/960,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 715/271
• US Class Current: 715/271
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes

Abstract

Embodiments described herein are directed to selectively redacting and unredacting display information in accordance with a redaction policy. In one embodiment, a computer system receives user input indicating a user'"'"'s intention to selectively redact portions of accessed documents. The computer system accesses at least one document, such that the document is capable of being displayed to the user. The computer system determines that the accessed document comprises one or more tags indicating which portions of the document are to be redacted. The computer system dynamically redacts those portions of the document identified by the tags without otherwise altering the structure of the document, in accordance with the user'"'"'s intention. The computer system also displays the document according to the document'"'"'s original structure, omitting the dynamically redacted portions.

Claims

1. A method implemented within a computer system that includes at least one processor and memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, implement the method for selectively redacting at least a portion of display information in accordance with a redaction policy, the method comprising:

an act of a computer system receiving user input indicating a user'"'"'s intention to selectively redact portions of accessed documents, wherein the user input comprises a hot key activation on the computer system corresponding to one of a plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels, wherein each of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels corresponds to a particular hot key activation, the computer system including at least one processor;

an act of the computer system accessing at least one document, such that the document is capable of being displayed to the user;

an act of the computer system determining that the accessed document comprises tag information that identifies portions of the document to redact upon receiving the hot key activation, including;

one or more first tags indicating first portions of the document that are to be redacted based on the identity of a first sensitivity level of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels when the hot key activation is a first hot key activation, and

one or more second tags indicating second portions of the document that are to be redacted based on the identity of a second sensitivity level of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels when the hot key activation is a second hot key activation;

an act of the computer system identifying portions of the document that are to be redacted based on particular one or more tags in the tag information that are identified by one of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels corresponding to the hot key activation;

an act of the computer system dynamically redacting those portions of the document identified by the particular one or more tags without otherwise altering the structure of the document, in accordance with the user'"'"'s intention including the hot key activation; and

an act of the computer system displaying the document according to the document'"'"'s original structure, omitting any dynamically redacted portions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

an act of the computer system receiving a second user input indicating the user'"'"'s intention to display the previously redacted portions of the document; and

an act of the computer system displaying the document along with the previously redacted portions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the portions to be redacted includes information indicated as sensitive by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the portions to be redacted includes a portion that has a policy assigned to it such that the portion is subject to redaction.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

an act of the computer system receiving a user input indicating the user'"'"'s intention to navigate to another portion of the document; and

an act of the computer system automatically applying the redaction to the document according to the tags as the user navigates.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user determines which portions of the document are to be redacted.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the document'"'"'s author determines which portions of the document are to be redacted.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of providing one or more visual markers to the user to indicate those portions of the document where information has been redacted.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the omitting the dynamically redacted portions comprises making the redacted portions unreadable.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of the computer system dynamically redacting those portions of the document identified by the particular one or more tags without otherwise altering the structure of the document further comprises:

an act of checking the user'"'"'s authorization status to determine whether the user is authorized to unredact the redacted display information in the document;

an act of receiving an indication whether the user is authorized or unauthorized to unredact the redacted display information; and

an act of excluding those portions of the document identified by the particular one or more tags from those portions that are dynamically redacted as a result of the user'"'"'s unauthorized status, notwithstanding the user'"'"'s request to unredact the redacted information, or alternatively, an act of including those portions of the document identified by the particular one or more tags in those portions that are dynamically redacted as a result of the user'"'"'s authorized status.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein authorized users are authorized to access the redacted information according to conditions defined in an associated redaction policy.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the act of act of checking the user'"'"'s authorization status to determine whether the user is authorized to unredact the redacted display information in the document comprises sending a call to a policy engine to determine the authorization status of the user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the hot key activation comprises the first hot key activation and wherein the act of the computer system displaying the document according to the document'"'"'s original structure, omitting any dynamically redacted portions, comprises omitting the first portions of the document.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the hot key activation comprises the second hot key activation and wherein the act of the computer system displaying the document according to the document'"'"'s original structure, omitting any dynamically redacted portions, comprises omitting the second portions of the document.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second portions include the first portions, and wherein omitting any dynamically redacted portions further comprises omitting the first portions of the document.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

an act of the computer system determining a context of the user; and

an act of the computer system determining that the user is unauthorized to dynamically redact portions of the document based on the context of the user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the context comprises at least one of the user'"'"'s current GPS location, an ambient noise level, and a status indicating whether or not the computer system comprises a public kiosk.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of the computer system identifying portions of the document that are to be redacted based on particular one or more tags in the tag information that are identified by one of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels corresponding to the hot key activation comprises:

based on a context of the user, selecting particular one or more tags that identify a larger portions of the document to be redacted than would be identified based on the hot key activation alone.

19. A computer storage device having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, implement a method for selectively redacting at least a portion of display information in accordance with a redaction policy, the method comprising:

an act of a computer system receiving user input indicating a user'"'"'s intention to selectively redact portions of accessed documents, wherein the user input comprises a hot key activation on the computer system corresponding to one of a plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels, wherein each of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels corresponds to a particular hot key activation, the computer system including at least one processor;

an act of the computer system accessing at least one document, such that the document is capable of being displayed to the user;

an act of the computer system determining that the accessed document comprises tag information that identifies portions of the document to redact upon receiving the hot key activation, including;

one or more first tags indicating first portions of the document that are to be redacted based on the identity of a first sensitivity level of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels when the hot key activation is a first hot key activation, and;

one or more second tags indicating second portions of the document that are to be redacted based on the identity of a second sensitivity level of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels when the hot key activation is a second hot key activation;

an act of the computer system identifying portions of the document that are to be redacted based on particular one or more tags in the tag information that are identified by one of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels corresponding to the hot key activation;

an act of the computer system dynamically redacting those portions of the document identified by the particular one or more tags without otherwise altering the structure of the document, in accordance with the user'"'"'s intention including the hot key activation; and

an act of the computer system displaying the document according to the document'"'"'s original structure, omitting any dynamically redacted portions.

20. The computer storage device of claim 19, further comprising:

an act of the computer system receiving a second user input indicating the user'"'"'s intention to display those sensitive portions of the document that were redacted; and

an act of the computer system displaying the document along with the previously redacted portions.

21. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, implement a method for selectively redacting at least a portion of display information in accordance with a redaction policy, the method comprising;

an act of the computer system receiving user input indicating a user'"'"'s intention to selectively redact portions of accessed documents, wherein the user input comprises a hot key activation on the computer system corresponding to one of a plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels, wherein each of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels corresponds to a particular hot key activation;

an act of the computer system accessing at least one document, such that the document is capable of being displayed to the user;

an act of the computer system determining that the accessed document comprises tag information that identifies portions of the document to redact upon receiving the hot key activation, including;

one or more first tags indicating first portions of the document that are to be redacted based on the identity of a first sensitivity level of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels when the hot key activation is a first hot key activation, and;

one or more second tags indicating second portions of the document that are to be redacted based on the identity of a second sensitivity level of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels when the hot key activation is a second hot key activation;

an act of the computer system identifying portions of the document that are to be redacted based on particular one or more tags in the tag information that are identified by one of the plurality of multi-tier sensitivity levels corresponding to the hot key activation;

an act of the computer system dynamically redacting those portions of the document identified by the particular one or more tags without otherwise altering the structure of the document, in accordance with the user'"'"'s intention including the hot key activation; and

an act of the computer system displaying the document according to the document'"'"'s original structure, omitting any dynamically redacted portions.