Discouraging screen capture

• US 9,285,981 B1
• Filed: 07/15/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wickr Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wickr Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Statica, Robert, Leavy, Thomas Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Badawi, Angie
• Application Number:
  US13/942,613
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/24 Key scheduling, i.e. generating round keys or sub-keys for block encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• 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 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/08 Key distribution or management, e.g. generation, sharing or updating, of cryptographic keys or passwords network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting key management in a packet data network H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0816 Key establishment, i.e. cryptographic processes or cryptographic protocols whereby a shared secret becomes available to two or more parties, for subsequent use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0841 : involving Diffie-Hellman or related key agreement protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 : involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/30 : Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3066 : involving algebraic varieties, e.g. elliptic or hyper-elliptic curves
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 : using cryptographic hash functions

Abstract

Screen capture mitigation is disclosed. The presence of a first finger is detected in a first area of a display. In response to the detection, content id displayed. A determination is made that the position of the first finger has changed. A determination is made that the distance by which the first finger has changed position exceeds a tolerance. The content is ceased to be displayed in response to the determination that the tolerance has been exceed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

display an icon;

indicate to a user that a received content item can be displayed in response to the user placing a finger on the displayed icon;

detect a presence of a first finger of the user on the displayed icon;

in response to the detection that the first finger of the first user is on the displayed icon;

permit the received content item to be displayed; and

detect a set of coordinates of the first finger of the user;

detect a change in the set of coordinates of the first finger of the user;

in response to detecting the change, determine that the first finger of the user, while holding the displayed icon, has moved by an amount that exceeds a threshold number of pixels, wherein the determination is indicative of an attempt by the user to take an unauthorized screen capture of the received content item while also holding down the displayed icon; and

in response to determining that the movement of the first finger of the user, while holding the displayed icon, has exceeded the threshold number of pixels, prevent the user from taking the unauthorized screen capture of the received content item at least in part by ceasing display of the received content item; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the presence of multiple fingers is detected.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the presence of multiple fingers is required in order for the received content item to be displayed.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the received content item comprises a photograph.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to determine an expiration time associated with the received content item.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the processor is further configured to enforce the expiration time.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the received content item is encrypted and wherein the processor is further configured to decrypt the received content item prior to displaying the received content item.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the threshold number of pixels is adjustable based at least in part on a desired sensitivity.

9. A method of comprising:

displaying an icon;

indicating to a user that a received content item can be displayed in response to the user placing a finger on the displayed icon;

detecting a presence of a first finger of the user on the displayed icon;

in response to the detection that the first finger of the first user is on the displayed icon;

permitting the received content item to be displayed; and

detecting a set of coordinates of the first finger of the user;

detecting a change in the set of coordinates of the first finger of the user;

in response to detecting the change, determining that the first finger of the user, while holding the displayed icon, has moved by an amount that exceeds a threshold number of pixels, wherein the determination is indicative of an attempt by the user to take an unauthorized screen capture of the received content item while also holding down the displayed icon; and

in response to determining that the movement of the first finger of the user, while holding the displayed icon, has exceeded the threshold number of pixels, preventing the user from taking the unauthorized screen capture of the received content item at least in part by ceasing display of the received content item.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the presence of multiple fingers is detected.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the presence of multiple fingers is required in order for the received content item to be displayed.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the threshold number of pixels is adjustable based at least in part on a desired sensitivity.

13. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

displaying an icon;

indicating to a user that a received content item can be displayed in response to the user placing a finger on the displayed icon;

detecting the presence of a first finger of the user on the displayed icon;

in response to the detection that the first finger of the first user is on the displayed icon;

permitting the received content item to be displayed; and

detecting a set of coordinates of the first finger of the user;

detecting a change in the set of coordinates of the first finger of the user;

in response to detecting the change, determining that the first finger of the user, while holding the displayed icon, has moved by an amount that exceeds a threshold number of pixels, wherein the determination is indicative of an attempt by the user to take an unauthorized screen capture of the received content item while also holding down the displayed icon; and

in response to determining that the movement of the first finger of the user, while holding the displayed icon, has exceeded the threshold number of pixels, preventing the user from taking the unauthorized screen capture of the received content item at least in part by ceasing display of the received content item.