Intelligently transferring privacy settings between devices based on proximity

• US 9,565,557 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Poiesz, Benjamin D., Abramson, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US14/298,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, computing devices, and computer-readable mediums for transferring privacy settings. For example, a method includes determining location information indicative of a location of a computing device. Further, the method includes determining one or more applications installed on the computing device and on one or more other computing devices that are configured to access the location information. Yet further, the method includes transferring a privacy setting of the computing device to the one or more other computing devices. In addition, the method includes determining accesses of the one or more applications to the location information indicative of the location of the computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, at a computing device operating according to a user account, location information indicative of a location of the computing device;

determining, by the computing device, one or more applications installed on the computing device and on one or more other computing devices that are configured to access the location information, wherein the one or more other computing devices operate according to the user account;

determining, by the computing device, a privacy setting selected in the user account of the computing device that indicates whether the one or more applications installed on the computing device have access to the location information;

transferring, by the computing device using the user account, the privacy setting selected in the user account of the computing device to the one or more other computing devices that operate according to the user account and are configured to access the location information and on which the one or more applications are installed; and

based on the transferred privacy setting selected in the user account, determining, by the computing device, accesses of the one or more applications installed on the computing device and on the one or more other computing devices to the location information indicative of the location of the computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the location information indicative of the location of the computing device comprises determining one or more location signals associated with the computing device comprising a GPS signal, a Wi-Fi signal, a Bluetooth signal, a wireless USB signal, and a base station signal.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more other computing devices comprises a second device, wherein the method further comprises:

determining second location information indicative of a second location of the second device, wherein the location differs from the second location;

determining that the one or more applications are configured to access the second location information; and

allowing the one or more applications to access the second location information indicative of the second location of the second device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more other computing devices comprises a second computing device, wherein transferring the privacy setting of the computing device to the one or more other computing devices comprises:

transferring the privacy setting to the second computing device based at least on the second computing device moving to the location of the computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more other computing devices comprises a second computing device, wherein the method further comprises:

allowing the one or more applications to access second location information indicative of a second location of the second computing device based at least on the computing device moving from the location to the second location of the second computing device, wherein the location differs from the second location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the location information indicative of the location of the computing device comprises determining a distance between the computing device and at least one of the one or more other computing devices, and wherein the method further comprises determining the privacy setting of the computing device based on the distance between the computing device and the at least one of the one or more other computing devices.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the location information indicative of the location of the computing device comprises determining a change in distance between the computing device and at least one of the one or more other computing devices, and wherein the method further comprises determining the privacy setting of the computing device based on the change in distance between the computing device and the at least one of the one or more other computing devices.

8. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

determining location information indicative of a location of the computing device operating according to a user account;

determining one or more applications installed on the computing device and on one or more other computing devices that are configured to access the location information, wherein the one or more other computing devices operate according to the user account;

determining a privacy setting selected in the user account of the computing device that indicates whether the one or more applications installed on the computing device have access to the location information;

transferring, using the user account, the privacy setting selected in the user account of the computing device to the one or more other computing devices that operate according to the user account and are configured to access the location information and on which the one or more applications are installed; and

based on the transferred privacy setting selected in the user account, determining accesses of the one or more applications installed on the computing device and on the one or more other computing devices to the location information indicative of the location of the computing device.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein determining the location information indicative of the location of the computing device comprises determining one or more location signals associated with the computing device comprising a GPS signal, a Wi-Fi signal, a Bluetooth signal, and a base station signal.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more other computing devices comprises a second device, wherein the method further comprises:

determining second location information indicative of a second location of the second device, wherein the location differs from the second location;

determining that the one or more applications are configured to access the second location information; and

allowing the one or more applications to access the second location information indicative of the second location of the second device.

11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more other computing devices comprises a second computing device, wherein transferring the privacy setting of the computing device to the one or more other computing devices comprises:

transferring the privacy setting to the second computing device based at least on the second computing device moving to the location of the computing device.

12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more other computing devices comprises a second computing device, wherein the method further comprises:

allowing the one or more applications to access second location information indicative of a second location of the second computing device based at least on the computing device moving from the location to the second location of the second computing device, wherein the location differs from the second location.

13. The computing device of claim 8, wherein determining the location information indicative of the location of the computing device comprises determining a distance between the computing device and at least one of the one or more other computing devices, and wherein the method further comprises determining the privacy setting of the computing device based on the distance between the computing device and the at least one of the one or more other computing devices.

14. The computing device of claim 8, wherein determining the location information indicative of the location of the computing device comprises determining a change in distance between the computing device and at least one of the one or more other computing devices, and wherein the method further comprises determining the privacy setting of the computing device based on the change in distance between the computing device and the at least one of the one or more other computing devices.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that when executed by a processor of a computing device cause performance of functions by the computing device in connection with a server device, the functions comprising:

determining location information indicative of a location of a computing device operating according to a user account;

determining one or more applications installed on the computing device and on one or more other computing devices that are configured to access the location information, wherein the one or more other computing devices operate according to the user account;

determining a privacy setting selected in the user account of the computing device that indicates whether the one or more applications installed on the computing device have access to the location information;

transferring, using the user account, the privacy setting selected in the user account of the computing device to the one or more other computing devices that operate according to the user account and are configured to access the location information and on which the one or more applications are installed; and

based on the transferred privacy setting selected in the user account, denying the one or more applications installed on the computing device and on the one or more other computing devices from accessing the location information indicative of the location of the computing device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining the location information indicative of the location of the computing device comprises determining one or more location signals associated with the computing device comprising a GPS signal, a Wi-Fi signal, a Bluetooth signal, and a base station signal.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more other computing devices comprises a second device, wherein the method further comprises:

determining second location information indicative of a second location of the second device, wherein the location differs from the second location;

determining that the one or more applications are configured to access the second location information; and

allowing the one or more applications to access the second location information indicative of the second location of the second device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more other computing devices comprises a second computing device, wherein transferring the privacy setting of the computing device to the one or more other computing devices comprises:

transferring the privacy setting to the second computing device based at least on the second computing device moving to the location of the computing device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more other computing devices comprises a second computing device, wherein the method further comprises:

allowing the one or more applications to access second location information indicative of a second location of the second computing device based at least on the computing device moving from the location to the second location of the second computing device, wherein the location differs from the second location.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining the location information indicative of the location of the computing device comprises determining a distance between the computing device and at least one of the one or more other computing devices, and wherein the method further comprises determining the privacy setting of the computing device based on the distance between the computing device and the at least one of the one or more other computing devices.