Method and program product for securing privacy of an e-mail address in an e-mail

• US 8,103,724 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dawson, Christopher J., Graham, Barry M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, KIET G
• Application Number:
  US11/428,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20080010348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,028 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 709217-219, 726 26- 30
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer

Abstract

A method and program product for securing privacy of an e-mail address is provided. The method includes generating an e-mail message to one or more recipients on a sender e-mail client and encrypting, using a privacy plug-in installed on the sender e-mail client, an e-mail address of the sender, using a respective public key corresponding to each recipient. The method further includes transmitting the e-mail message to the recipients with the sender e-mail address encrypted and decrypting, upon receipt by a respective recipient e-mail client, the sender'"'"'s e-mail address without displaying the sender'"'"'s e-mail address. The transmitting step further includes stripping, before the e-mail is sent, an e-mail address of any other recipient besides the recipient to whom the e-mail is sent and sending a hyperlink to a web site for installing the privacy plug-in on a recipient client, such that the recipient can reply to the sender.

Claims

1. A method of securing privacy of a sender'"'"'s e-mail address, said method comprising the steps of:

generating an e-mail message to one or more intended recipients in an e-mail application on a sender e-mail client;

encrypting, using a privacy plug-in installed on said sender e-mail client, an e-mail address of sender of said e-mail message generated, wherein the encrypting further comprises;

selecting a privacy option for said e-mail message for securing said e-mail address of said sender; and

launching said privacy plug-in installed on said sender e-mail client for encrypting said e-mail address of said sender before transmitting said e-mail message to said one or more intended recipients, wherein encrypting said e-mail address of said sender uses a respective public key corresponding to said respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients;

transmitting said e-mail message generated with said e-mail address of said sender being encrypted to said one or more intended recipients, wherein said transmitting step further comprises hiding an e-mail address corresponding to each of any other intended recipients before transmitting said e-mail message to said respective recipient such that each respective intended recipient is unable to view said e-mail address of each of any other intended recipients; and

decrypting, after receipt by a respective recipient e-mail client corresponding to a respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients, said e-mail address of said sender to display a name of said sender and any other recipients of said one or more intended recipients without displaying said e-mail address of said sender or said any other recipients of said one or more intended recipients in said e-mail message received by said respective recipient such that said respective recipient cannot reply to each of said any other recipients of said one or more intended recipients, the decrypting being executed by a privacy plug-in installed on said respective recipient e-mail client corresponding to a respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting step further comprises the step of:

sending a hyperlink to a web site for enabling an installation of a correct version of said privacy plug-in based on said respective recipient client being used by said respective recipient of said e-mail message transmitted.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said decrypting step further comprises the steps of:

checking whether said correct version of said privacy plug-in is installed on said respective recipient client corresponding to said respective recipient of said e-mail message transmitted; and

if not, prompting said respective recipient to install said correct version of said privacy plug-in on said respective recipient client.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said decrypting step further comprises the step of:

decrypting, using a respective private key corresponding to said respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients, said e-mail address of said sender in said e-mail message received by said respective recipient client.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said decrypting step further comprises the step of:

storing said e-mail address of said sender that is decrypted in a memory on a respective recipient e-mail client, such that said e-mail address of said sender is hidden when said e-mail message is received by each of said one or more intended recipients.

6. A method of securing privacy of an e-mail address in an e-mail message, said method comprising the steps of:

installing a privacy plug-in on a sender e-mail client for securing an e-mail address;

generating an e-mail message to one or more intended recipients in an e-mail application on said sender e-mail client;

selecting a privacy option provided by said privacy plug-in installed on said sender e-mail client;

encrypting said e-mail address of said sender using a respective public key corresponding to each respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients;

sending said e-mail message generated to each respective intended recipient of said one or more intended recipients, such that said e-mail address of said sender is encrypted and an e-mail address of each of any other intended recipients identified in said e-mail message is hidden before said e-mail message is sent to said each respective intended recipient such that each respective intended recipient is able to view a name of each of any other intended recipients, and unable to reply to each of any other intended recipients or view said e-mail address of each of any other intended recipients; and

generating, by said privacy plug-in, a hyperlink to a website for installing a correct version of said privacy plug-in on a respective recipient client corresponding to each of said one or more intended recipients for opening said e-mail message sent by said sender;

modifying said respective recipient e-mail client corresponding to said respective recipient of said e-mail message received, such that said e-mail address of said sender is stripped when said respective recipient forwards said e-mail message to an unintended recipient; and

decrypting, after receipt by said respective recipient e-mail client corresponding to said respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients, said e-mail address of said sender using a respective private key corresponding to said respective recipient to display a name of said sender while hiding said e-mail address of said sender in said e-mail message received by said respective recipient, the decrypting being executed by a privacy plug-in installed on said respective recipient e-mail client corresponding to said respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said decrypting step further comprises the steps of:

checking whether said correct version of said privacy plug-in is installed on said respective recipient client corresponding to said respective recipient of said e-mail message transmitted; and

if not, prompting said respective recipient to install said correct version of said privacy plug-in on said respective recipient client.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said decrypting step further comprises the step of:

storing said e-mail address of said sender that is decrypted in a memory on a respective recipient e-mail client such that said respective recipient is able to reply to said sender of said e-mail message despite said e-mail address of said sender being hidden in said e-mail message received.

9. A computer program product for securing privacy of an e-mail address in an e-mail that is sent, said computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium;

first program instructions to create an e-mail addressed to one or more intended recipients in an e-mail application on an e-mail client, said first program instructions including instructions to select a privacy option using a privacy plug-in installed on said e-mail client for securing an e-mail address of a sender;

second program instructions to launch said privacy plug-in installed on said sender e-mail client to encrypt said e-mail address of said sender using a respective public key of each respective recipient e-mail client of said one or more intended recipients before sending said e-mail to said each respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients, wherein said second program instructions include instructions to hide an e-mail address corresponding to each of any other intended recipients before transmitting said e-mail message to said respective recipient such that said respective recipient is unable to view said e-mail address corresponding to each of any other intended recipients;

third program instructions to decrypt said e-mail address of said sender after receipt of said e-mail by said each respective recipient using a respective private key of said each respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients to display a name of said sender and any other recipients of said one or more intended recipients, while hiding said e-mail address of said sender and any other recipients of said one or more intended recipients in said e-mail message received by said one or more intended recipients such that said respective recipient cannot reply to each of said any other recipients of said one or more intended recipients, the decrypting being executed by a privacy plug-in installed on said each respective recipient e-mail client of said one or more intended recipients; and

wherein said first, second and third program instructions are stored on said non-transitory computer readable medium.

10. The computer program product according to claim 9, further comprising:

fourth program instructions to store in a memory on each respective recipient client corresponding to said each respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients, said e-mail address of said sender that is decrypted without displaying said e-mail address of said sender that is decrypted in said e-mail message received by said each respective recipient, said fourth program instructions being stored on said non-transitory computer readable medium.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein said first program instructions include instructions to configure said privacy plug-in installed on said e-mail client to learn storage locations of each respective private key of one or more private keys corresponding to one or more respective recipients and to learn storage locations of each public key of one or more public keys corresponding to said one or more respective recipients.

12. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein said second program instructions include instructions to send a hyperlink to a website for automatically downloading and installing a correct version of said privacy plug-in corresponding to said each respective recipient client being used by said each respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients, and wherein said hyperlink to said website is generated by said privacy plug-in.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein said third program instructions include instructions to prompt said each respective recipient e-mail client of said each respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients to check if said correct version of said privacy plug-in is installed and, if not, to prompt said each respective recipient to install said correct version of said privacy plug-in.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein said third program instructions include instructions to modify said each respective recipient e-mail client corresponding to said each respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients of said e-mail message, such that said e-mail address of said sender is stripped if said respective recipient forwards said e-mail message received to an unintended recipient.

15. A process for deploying computing infrastructure comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computing system, wherein said code in combination with said computing system is capable of performing a process of securing privacy of an e-mail address, said process comprising:

installing a privacy plug-in on a sender e-mail client for securing an e-mail address;

generating an e-mail message to one or more intended recipients in an e-mail application on said sender e-mail client;

selecting a privacy option provided by said privacy plug-in installed on said sender e-mail client for securing said e-mail address of said sender;

launching said privacy plug-in installed on said sender e-mail client for securing an e-mail application on said sender e-mail client;

encrypting, using said privacy plug-in installed on said sender e-mail client, an e-mail address of said sender of said e-mail message generated;

sending said e-mail message generated to said one or more intended recipients, such that said e-mail address of said sender is encrypted using a respective public key corresponding to a respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients and an e-mail address corresponding to each of any other intended recipients is stripped before transmitting said e-mail message to said respective recipient so that each of said one or more intended recipients is able to view a name of each of any other intended recipients, and unable to respond to each of any other intended recipients or view said e-mail address of each of any other intended recipients; and

decrypting, after receipt by a respective recipient e-mail client corresponding to said respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients, said e-mail address of said sender to display a name of said sender, while hiding said e-mail address of said sender in said e-mail message that is received by said respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients, the decrypting being executed by a privacy plug-in installed on said respective recipient e-mail client corresponding to a respective recipient of said one or more intended recipients.

16. The process according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

generating, by said privacy plug-in, a hyperlink to a website for installing a correct version of said privacy plug-in on said respective recipient client for opening said e-mail message sent by said sender.

17. The process according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

modifying said respective recipient e-mail client corresponding to said respective recipient of said e-mail message sent, such that said e-mail address of said sender is stripped if said respective recipient forwards said e-mail message to an unintended recipient.