Control and enforcement of access of user data

• US 9,449,181 B1
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Umapathy, Vijay, Bachman, Michael, Grigera, Alejo, Rodrigues, Vitor
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/656,065
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• 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 21/6272 by registering files or documents with a third party
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

Control and enforcement of access of user data are described, including receiving a request from an application to access data associated with a user; determining that a service profile and another service profile are associated with the user, the service profile includes at least one data service specified by the user and the another service profile includes at least another data service specified by the user; identifying the service profile being associated, by the user, with at least the application; determining whether the data requested by the application are provided by the at least one data service included in the service profile; and performing an action with respect to access by the application to the data requested, based on a result of the determining.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, via an access manager at one or more computing devices, a request from one of a plurality of third-party applications to access data associated with a user;

determining, using the one or more computing devices, that a first service profile and a second service profile are associated with the user, wherein the first service profile includes at least one data service specified by the user and controls access of the third party application to the data associated with the user, based on a user-defined categorization of the data into one or more groups for the at least one data service and a user-defined association of the first service profile with the third-party application, and the second service profile includes at least another data service specified by the user;

identifying, via at least one of the access manager and an access information manager at the one or more computing devices, that the first service profile is associated, by the user, with at least the third-party application;

determining, via the access manager at the one or more computing devices, whether the data requested by the third-party application is provided by the at least one data service included in the first service profile, based on the user-defined categorization and the user-defined association of the first service profile, as identified by the access manager or the access information manager;

performing, via the access manager at the one or more computing devices, an action with respect to an access by the third-party application to the data, based on a result of the determining; and

providing, by the one or more computing devices, a user interface that displays an identity of the third-party applications and an indication of whether each of the third-party applications are associated with each of the first service profile and the second service profile, wherein the user interface provides a first option for the user to associate or disassociate the third-party applications with respect to the first service profile or the second service profile, and a second option for the user to define a boundary of a data stream to limit the access by the third party applications associated with the first service profile or the second service profile to the data, based on a type of the access or a degree of the access.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second service profile is associated with at least another third-party application, which is mutually exclusive from the at least the third-party application associated with the first service profile.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

passing through, via the access manager at the one or more computing devices, the request from the third-party application to a server after the receiving the request from the third-party application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying, using the one or more computing devices, the first service profile, comprises the access manager receiving the first service profile based on an identifier associated with the at least the third-party application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying, using the one or more computing devices, the first service profile, comprises the access manager identifying the first service profile from a cache.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data service includes one or more boundaries defined by the user and can be redefined by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing, using the one or more computing devices, the action with respect to the access by the third-party application to the data requested comprises passing through, via the access manager at the one or more computing devices, the request from the third-party application to a server controlling access to the data requested.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing, using the one or more computing devices, the action with respect to the access by the third-party application to the data requested comprises returning an error code to the third-party application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing the action comprises:

granting access by the third-party application to the data requested when the data requested by the third-party application are provided by the at least one data service;

or

denying access by the third-party application to the data requested when the data requested by the third-party application are not provided by the at least one data service.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an interface for the user to create, define, view, modify or delete the first service profile associated with the third-party application and the second service profile associated with another third-party application.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein computer executable instructions for:

receiving, via an access manager at one or more computing devices, a request from a third-party application to access data associated with a user;

determining, using the one or more computing devices, that a service profile and second service profile are associated with the user, wherein the first service profile includes at least one data service specified by the user and controls access of the third party application to the data associated with the user, based on a user-defined categorization of the data into one or more groups for the at least one data service and a user-defined association of the first service profile with the third-party application, and the second service profile includes at least another data service specified by the user;

identifying, via at least one of the access manager and an access information manager at the one or more computing devices, that the first service profile has been associated, by the user, with at least the third-party application;

determining, via the access manager at the one or more computing devices, whether the data requested by the third-party application is provided by the at least one data service included in the first service profile, based on the user-defined categorization and the user-defined association of the first service profile, as identified by the access manager or the access information manager;

performing, via the access manager at the one or more computing devices, an action with respect to an access by the third-party application to the data, based on a result of the determining; and

providing, by the one or more computing devices, a user interface that displays an identity of the third-party applications and an indication of whether each of the third-party applications are associated with each of the first service profile and the second service profile, wherein the user interface provides a first option for the user to associate or disassociate the third-party applications with respect to the first service profile or the second service profile, and a second option for the user to define a boundary of a data stream to limit the access by the third party applications associated with the first service profile or the second service profile to the data, based on a type of the access or a degree of the access.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the second service profile is associated with at least another third-party application, which is mutually exclusive from the at least the third-party application associated with the first service profile.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the identifying, using the one or more computing devices, the first service profile comprises the access manager receiving the first service profile based on an identifier associated with the at least the third-party application.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the at least one data service includes one or more boundaries defined by the user and can be redefined by the user.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the performing, using the one or more computing devices, the action with respect to the access by the third-party application to the data requested comprises passing through, via the access manager at the one or more computing devices, the request from the third-party application to a server controlling access to the data requested.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the performing, using the one or more computing devices, the action with respect to the access by the third-party application to the data requested comprises the access manager returning an error code to the third-party application.

17. At least one computing device comprising:

storage and at least one hardware processor configured to perform;

receiving, via an access manager at the at least one computing device, a request from a third-party application to access data associated with a user;

determining, using the at least one computing device, that a service profile and second service profile are associated with the user, wherein the first service profile includes at least one data service specified by the user and controls access of the third party application to the data associated with the user, based on a user-defined categorization of the data into one or more groups for the at least one data service and a user-defined association of the first service profile with the third-party application, and the second service profile includes at least another data service specified by the user;

identifying, via at least one of the access manager and an access information manager at the at least one computing device, the first service profile has been associated, by the user, with at least the third-party application;

determining, via the access manager at the at least one computing device, whether the data requested by the third-party application is provided by the at least one data service included in the first service profile, based on the user-defined categorization and the user-defined association of the first service profile, as identified by the access manager or the access information manager;

performing, via the access manager at the at least one computing device, an action with respect to an access by the third-party application to the data, based on a result of the determining; and

providing, by the one or more computing devices, a user interface that displays an identity of the third-party applications and an indication of whether each of the third-party applications are associated with each of the first service profile and the second service profile, wherein the user interface provides a first option for the user to associate or disassociate the third-party applications with respect to the first service profile or the second service profile, and a second option for the user to define a boundary of a data stream to limit the access by the third party applications associated with the first service profile or the second service profile to the data, based on a type of the access or a degree of the access.

18. The at least one computing device of claim 17, wherein the second service profile is associated with at least another third-party application, which is mutually exclusive from the at least the third-party application associated with the first service profile.

19. The at least one computing device of claim 17, wherein the identifying, via at least one of the access manager and an access information manager at the at least one computing device, the first service profile comprises receiving the first service profile based on an identifier associated with the at least the third-party application.

20. The at least one computing device of claim 17, wherein the at least one data service includes one or more boundaries defined by the user and can be redefined by the user.

21. The at least one computing device of claim 17, wherein the performing, using the at least one computing device, the action with respect to the access by the third-party application to the data requested comprises passing through, via the access manager at the one or more computing devices, the request from the third-party application to a server controlling access to the data requested.