Protecting privacy when communicating with a web server

• US 9,154,465 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Benedetti, Fabio, Mariani, Gianluca, Rossi, Riccardo
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORTHY, ARAVIND K
• Application Number:
  US13/649,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20130104243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26, 726/4, 726/12, 713/153, 713/161, 713/168
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

Protecting privacy when communicating with a web server via a communication network, includes receiving by a first privacy agent a request from an application program of a client system for a connection to a web server having a target web server address, sending the request together with a first identification from the first privacy agent to the second privacy agent, forwarding the request together with a second identification from the second privacy agent to the third privacy agent. Further processing is performed responsive to determining that the target web server address matches a defined web server address which is accessible by the third privacy agent.

Claims

1. A method for protecting privacy when communicating with a web server via a communication network, the method comprising:

receiving by a first privacy agent using a processor a request from an application program of a client system for a connection to a web server having a target web server address;

sending the request together with a first identification from the first privacy agent to the second privacy agent;

forwarding the request together with a second identification from the second privacy agent to the third privacy agent;

responsive to determining that the target web server address matches a defined web server address which is accessible by the third privacy agent;

sending the request from the third privacy agent with a third identification to the web server having the target web server address;

receiving requested data from the web server having the target web server address by the third privacy agent;

sending the received data from the third privacy agent to the second privacy agent;

forwarding the received data from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent; and

forwarding the requested data from the first privacy agent to the application program.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving of the request by the first privacy agent comprises:

sending the request by the first privacy agent to the web server together with an identification of a client computer on which the first privacy agent and the application program run, the sending being dependent on a direct access requirement flag.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the direct access requirement flag is set based on a user input signal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the direct access requirement flag is set based on a predefined web server address accessible by the first privacy agent.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the request comprises an associated request identifier.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarding of the requested data from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent is free of the third identification.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarding of the requested data from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent is performed together with sending also the second identification from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in case the first privacy agent does not send the requested data to the application program within a predefined time, sending the request together with the first identification to another second privacy agent which is also communicatively coupled to the first privacy agent.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first privacy agent, the second privacy agent and the third privacy agent form a peer-to-peer network.

10. A system for protecting privacy when communicating with a web server via a communication network, the system comprising:

at least one processor configured to initiate executable operations comprising;

receiving by a first privacy agent using a processor a request from an application program of a client system for a connection to a web server having a target web server address;

sending the request together with a first identification from the first privacy agent to the second privacy agent;

forwarding the request together with a second identification from the second privacy agent to the third privacy agent;

responsive to determining that the target web server address matches a defined web server address which is accessible by the third privacy agent;

sending the request from the third privacy agent with a third identification to the web server having the target web server address;

receiving requested data from the web server having the target web server address by the third privacy agent;

sending the received data from the third privacy agent to the second privacy agent;

forwarding the received data from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent; and

forwarding the requested data from the first privacy agent to the application program.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the receiving of the request by the first privacy agent comprises:

sending the request by the first privacy agent to the web server together with an identification of a client computer on which the first privacy agent and the application program run, the sending being dependent on a direct access requirement flag.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the direct access requirement flag is set based on a user input signal.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the direct access requirement flag is set based on a predefined web server address accessible by the first privacy agent.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the request comprises an associated request identifier.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the forwarding of the requested data from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent is free of the third identification.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the forwarding of the requested data from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent is performed together with sending also the second identification from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein, in case the first privacy agent does not send the requested data to the application program within a predefined time, sending the request together with the first identification to another second privacy agent which is also communicatively coupled to the first privacy agent.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the first privacy agent, the second privacy agent and the third privacy agent form a peer-to-peer network.

19. A computer program product for protecting privacy when communicating with a web server via a communication network, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having stored embodied therewith, the program code being executable by a processor to perform a method comprising;

receiving by a first privacy agent using a processor a request from an application program of a client system for a connection to a web server having a target web server address;

sending the request together with a first identification from the first privacy agent to the second privacy agent;

forwarding the request together with a second identification from the second privacy agent to the third privacy agent;

responsive to determining that the target web server address matches a defined web server address which is accessible by the third privacy agent;

sending the request from the third privacy agent with a third identification to the web server having the target web server address;

receiving requested data from the web server having the target web server address by the third privacy agent;

sending the received data from the third privacy agent to the second privacy agent;

forwarding the received data from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent; and

forwarding the requested data from the first privacy agent to the application program, wherein

the computer-readable storage medium is a hardware apparatus that does not consist of a transitory, propagating signal.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the receiving of the request by the first privacy agent comprises:

sending the request by the first privacy agent to the web server together with an identification of a client computer on which the first privacy agent and the application program run, the sending being dependent on a direct access requirement flag.

21. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the forwarding of the requested data from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent is free of the third identification.

22. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the forwarding of the requested data from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent is performed together with sending also the second identification from the second privacy agent to the first privacy agent.

23. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein, in case the first privacy agent does not send the requested data to the application program within a predefined time, sending the request together with the first identification to another second privacy agent which is also communicatively coupled to the first privacy agent.