Methods and devices for analyzing user privacy based on a user's online presence

• US 9,473,535 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Privacy Factor LLC
• Original Assignee: The Privacy Factor LLC
• Inventors: Sartor, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PERUNGAVOOR, VENKATANARAY
• Application Number:
  US14/529,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20150207819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/00 Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1483 service impersonation, e.g. phishing, pharming or web spoofing detection of rogue wireless access points H04W12/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and policy rating server device that receives a request from a client computing device for one or more privacy ratings. The request identifies at least one application, such as an application installed on the client computing device for example. A policy associated with the identified application is obtained. The obtained policy is analyzed to identify a plurality of key words or phrases associated with use by the at least one application of functionality of, or personal information stored on, the client computing device. One or more privacy ratings are generated based on numerical values assigned to each of the identified key words or phrases. The generated one or more privacy ratings are output to the client computing device in response to the request.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing user privacy based on a user'"'"'s online presence, the method comprising:

receiving, by a privacy analyzing server device, a request from a client computing device for an overall privacy rating, the request identifying a plurality of applications or web sites;

obtaining, by the privacy analyzing server device, a policy associated with each of the identified applications or web sites;

analyzing, by the privacy analyzing server device, contents of each of the obtained policies to identify a plurality of key words or phrases included in the obtained policies and corresponding to one or more interactions of the corresponding application or web site with the client computing device, the interactions comprising at least use of functionality of the client computing device or use of personal information stored on the client computing device;

generating, by the privacy analyzing server device, a privacy rating for each of the identified applications or web sites based on numerical values associated with a level of privacy and assigned to each of the identified key words or phrases included in each of the obtained policies; and

outputting, by the privacy analyzing server device, the overall privacy rating to the client computing device in response to the request, wherein the overall privacy rating is for a user of the client computing device and is determined based at least in part on an aggregation of the generated privacy ratings for each of the identified applications or web sites.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, by the privacy analyzing server device, one or more of the generated privacy ratings generated after the step if receiving of the request in a database as associated with an indication of a corresponding one of the applications or web sites.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating further comprises:

determining whether any of the identified key words or phrases in the contents match one or more previously stored key words or phrases;

assigning the numerical value based on a numerical value associated with one or more of the previously stored key words or phrases for each of the identified key words or phrases determined to match one or more of the previously stored key words or phrases; and

assigning the numerical value for each of the identified key words or phrases not determined to match one or more of the previously stored key words or phrases.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating further comprises generating each of the privacy ratings based on a privacy rating for each of a plurality of privacy categories.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the applications or web sites comprise a plurality of applications or web sites installed on the client computing device or selected by the user.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for analyzing user privacy based on a user'"'"'s online presence comprising executable code which when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving a request from a client computing device for an overall privacy rating, the request identifying a plurality of applications or web sites;

obtaining a policy associated with each of the identified applications or web sites;

analyzing contents of each of the obtained policies to identify a plurality of key words or phrases included in the obtained policies and corresponding to one or more interactions of the corresponding application or web site with the client computing device, the interactions comprising at least use of functionality of the client computing device or use of personal information stored on the client computing device;

generating a privacy rating for each of the identified applications or web sites based on numerical values associated with a level of privacy and assigned to each of the identified key words or phrases included in each of the obtained policies; and

outputting the overall privacy rating to the client computing device in response to the request, wherein the overall privacy rating is for a user of the client computing device and is determined based at least in part on an aggregation of the generated privacy ratings for each of the identified applications or web sites.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein the executable code, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to perform at least one additional step comprising storing one or more of the generated privacy ratings generated after the step of receiving of the request in a database as associated with an indication of a corresponding one of the applications or web sites.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein the generating further comprises:

determining whether any of the identified key words or phrases in the contents match one or more previously stored key words or phrases;

assigning the numerical value based on a numerical value associated with one or more of the previously stored key words or phrases for each of the identified key words or phrases determined to match one or more of the previously stored key words or phrases; and

assigning the numerical value for each of the identified key words or phrases not determined to match one or more of the previously stored key words or phrases.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein the generating further comprises generating each of the privacy ratings based on a privacy rating for each of a plurality of privacy categories.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein the applications or websites comprise a plurality of applications or web sites installed on the client computing device or selected by the user.

11. A privacy analyzing server device comprising at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor which is configured to be capable of executing programmed instructions comprising and stored in the memory to:

receive a request from a client computing device for an overall privacy rating, the request identifying a plurality of applications or web sites;

obtain a policy associated with each of the identified applications or web sites;

analyze contents of each of the obtained policies to identify a plurality of key words or phrases included in the obtained policies and corresponding to one or more interactions of the corresponding application or web site with the client computing device, the interactions comprising at least use of functionality of the client computing device or use of personal information stored on the client computing device;

generate a privacy rating for each of the identified applications or web sites based on numerical values associated with a level of privacy and assigned to each of the identified key words or phrases included in each of the obtained policies; and

output the overall privacy rating to the client computing device in response to the request, wherein the overall privacy rating is for a user of the client computing device and is determined based at least in part on an aggregation of the generated privacy ratings for each of the identified applications or web sites.

12. The privacy analyzing server device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction to store one or more of the generated privacy ratings generated after the step of receiving of the request in a database as associated with an indication of a corresponding one of the applications or web sites.

13. The privacy analyzing server device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction to:

determine whether any of the identified key words or phrases in the contents match one or more previously stored key words or phrases;

assign the numerical value based on a numerical value associated with one or more of the previously stored key words or phrases for each of the identified key words or phrases determined to match one or more of the previously stored key words or phrases; and

assign the numerical value for each of the identified key words or phrases not determined to match one or more of the previously stored key words or phrases.

14. The privacy analyzing server device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction to generate each of the privacy ratings based on a privacy rating for each of a plurality of privacy categories.

15. The privacy analyzing server device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the applications or websites comprise a plurality of applications or web sites installed on the client computing device or selected by the user.