Privacy enhanced browser

• US 8,763,136 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Richard Ding
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr, Farid
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHOLEMAN, ABU S
• Application Number:
  US11/728,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,651 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26, 726/24, 726/25, 709/217, 709/229, 713/168
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A method and apparatus for filtering user identifying information. A user request for content is received, the request including user identifying information. A determination is made as to whether the user request satisfies context criteria. If the user request satisfies the context criteria, the user identifying information is filtered out from the user request. The filtered request is then sent to a content provider.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing device of a client computer executing a browser, a user request for content, the user request comprising information identifying a user;

determining, by the browser, whether a content provider associated with the user request satisfies context criteria for trustworthiness based on at least one of a privacy policy, an advertising policy, an external trustworthiness rating, or a user setting specifying the trustworthiness of the content provider;

filtering out, by the browser, the information identifying the user from the user request when the context criteria are satisfied; and

sending the filtered request to the content provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the content provider has specific characteristics.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the specific characteristics comprise a website type.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the website type comprises at least one of a search site, a corporate website, a blog site, a commerce site, a database site, or a pornography site.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the user request was made in association with a search function.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if at least one of the information identifying the user or the user request for content were received under specific conditions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the user comprises at least one of a cookie, a referrer header, a browser identifier, a pixel tag, or an IP address.

8. A non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processing device of a client computer to cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the processing device executing a browser, a user request for content, the user request comprising information identifying a user;

determining, by the browser, whether a content provider associated with the user request satisfies context criteria for trustworthiness based on at least one of a privacy policy, an advertising policy, an external trustworthiness rating, or a user setting specifying the trustworthiness of the content provider;

filtering out, by the browser, the information identifying the user from the user request when the context criteria are satisfied; and

sending the filtered request to a content provider.

9. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 8, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the content provider has specific characteristics.

10. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 9, wherein one of the specific characteristics comprises a website type.

11. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 10, wherein the website type comprises at least one of a search site, a corporate website, a blog site, a commerce site, a database site, or a pornography site.

12. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 8, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the user request was made in association with a search function.

13. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 8, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if at least one of the information identifying the user or the user request for content were received under specific conditions.

14. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 8, wherein the information identifying the user comprises at least one of a cookie, a browser identifier, a pixel tag, a referrer header or an IP address.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a memory to store instructions for a browser; and

a processing device of a client computer, connected to the memory, to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions cause the processor to;

store information identifying a user;

determine, by the browser executed by the processing device, whether a content provider associated with the user request for content satisfies context criteria for trustworthiness based on at least one of a privacy policy, advertising policy, an external trustworthiness rating, or a user setting specifying the trustworthiness of the content provider, wherein the user request comprises the information identifying the user; and

filter out, by the browser, the information identifying the user from the user request if the context criteria are satisfied.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the content provider has specific characteristics.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the context criteria are satisfied if the user request was made in association with a search function.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the information identifying the user comprises at least one of a cookie, a browser identifier, a pixel tag, a referrer header or an IP address.