Blocking objectionable content in service provider storage systems

• US 9,600,582 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2013
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Zacher, Ryan, Trevino, Jorge Pozas, Wolf, Christopher, Anderson, Gary, Ferreira, Jeff, Kramer, Mark, Ewing, Kathleen, DiCola, Anthony Charles, Miranda-Steiner, Emmanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Rashid, Harunur
• Application Number:
  US13/901,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 726/29
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload

Abstract

When objects are shared by one user with another user, objectionable content, if identified as such, can be blocked from being shared, while the remainder of the shared objects can be accessed by the other user. Functions that allow sharing of content are implemented so as prevent sharing of objectionable content with another user, while allowing other content to be shared. If a group of files or objects is shared, then the presence of objectionable content in one object in the group results in that objectionable content not being shared, but the remaining files or objects are still shared. A graphical user interface for accessing the storage system, whether by providers or recipients of shared content, can selectively render information about objects with objectionable content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented process, comprising:

maintaining a plurality of objects on computer storage of a storage system for use by a plurality of users, each user of the plurality of users having a user account with the storage system, wherein each object in the plurality of objects is a file and is associated with;

an owner user from among the plurality of users,

permissions for other users from among the plurality of users for accessing the object, and

an access control list for the object including data indicating whether the object is marked as containing objectionable content;

receiving indications of objects in the storage identified as including objectionable content, and setting the data of the indicated objects such that the indicated objects are marked as containing objectionable content;

receiving a plurality of requests from the plurality of users to access objects in the plurality of objects; and

in response to each request, in the plurality of received requests, to access an object of the plurality of objects from a user other than the owner user of the object;

authenticating the user associated with the request according to the permissions of the object;

determining whether the requested object is marked as containing objectionable content; and

in response to a determination that the object is marked as containing objectionable content and the user is authenticated to access the object, limiting access to the objectionable content from the requested object by the authenticated user by preventing access by the authenticated user to the objectionable content included in the stored object while allowing access by the authenticated user to metadata included in the stored object.

2. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing a first user to share, with a second user, a group of the plurality objects, in the computer storage, which the first user is authorized to share;

determining if the group of objects includes an object that is marked as containing objectionable content;

limiting access by the second user to the objectionable content in the marked object, while allowing the second user to access other objects in the group of objects.

3. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, wherein limiting access includes preventing access to a file stream in the file containing the objectionable content.

4. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, wherein limiting access includes allowing access to a file stream in the file containing the metadata about the file.

5. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, wherein the object is a file storing an image and limiting access to content in the file includes preventing access to a reduced image representative of the image stored in the file.

6. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing a first user to share, with a second user, the object that is marked as containing objectionable content;

limiting access by the second user to the objectionable content in the object.

7. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying to the user requesting the object an indication that the object is marked as including objectionable content.

8. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer storage, and computer program instructions stored on the computer storage, wherein the computer program instructions, when processed by a processing device, instruct the processing device to perform a process comprising;

maintaining a plurality of objects on computer storage of a storage system for use by a plurality of users, each user of the plurality of users having a user account with the storage system, wherein each object in the plurality of objects is a file and is associated with;

an owner user from among the plurality of users,

permissions for other users from among the plurality of users for accessing the object, and

an access control list for the object including data indicating whether the object is marked as containing objectionable content;

receiving indications of objects in the storage identified as including objectionable content, and setting the data of the indicated objects such that the indicated objects are marked as containing objectionable content;

receiving a plurality of requests from the plurality of users to access objects in the plurality of objects; and

in response to each request, in the plurality of received requests, to access an object of the plurality of objects from a user other than the owner user of the object;

authenticating the user associated with the request according to the permissions of the object;

determining whether the requested object is marked as containing objectionable content; and

in response to a determination that the object is marked as containing objectionable content and the user is authenticated to access the object, limiting access to the objectionable content from the requested object by the authenticated user by preventing access by the authenticated user to the objectionable content included in the stored object while allowing access by the authenticated user to metadata included in the stored object.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the process further comprises:

allowing a first user to share, with a second user, a group of objects;

determining if the group of objects includes an object that is marked as containing objectionable content;

limiting access by the second user to the objectionable content in the object that is marked, while allowing the second user to access other objects in the group of objects.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein limiting access includes preventing access to a file stream in the file containing the objectionable content.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein limiting access includes allowing access to a file stream in the file containing metadata about the file.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the object is a file storing an image and limiting access to content in the file includes preventing access to a reduced image representative of the image stored in the file.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the process further comprises:

allowing a first user to share, with a second user, the object that is marked as containing objectionable content;

limiting access by the second user to the objectionable content in the object.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the process further comprises:

displaying to the user requesting an object an indication that the object is marked as including objectionable content.

15. A computer storage system comprising:

storage in which objects are stored containing content, for use by a plurality of users, each user of the plurality of users having a user account with the storage system, wherein each object in the plurality of objects is a file and is associated with;

an owner user from among the plurality of users,

permissions for other users from among the plurality of users for accessing the object, and

an access control list for the object including data indicating whether the object is marked as containing objectionable content;

a content blocking module, connected to the storage, having an input configured to receive indications of objects in the storage identified as including objectionable content, and having an output configured to set the data of the indicated objects such that the indicated objects are marked as containing objectionable content;

one or more processors, connected to the storage, programmed to;

receive a plurality of requests from the plurality of users to access objects in the plurality of objects; and

in response to each request, in the plurality of received requests, to access an object of the plurality of objects on the storage from a user other than the owner user of the object;

authenticate the user associated with the request according to the permissions of the object;

determine whether the requested object is marked as containing objectionable content,

in response to a determination that the object is marked as containing objectionable content, and the user is authenticated to access the object, limit access to the objectionable content included in the requested object by the authenticated user by preventing access by the authenticated user to the objectionable content included in the stored object while allowing access by the authenticated user to metadata included in the stored object.

16. The computer storage system of claim 15, the one or more processors being programmed to:

allow a first user to share, with a second user, a group of objects;

determining if the group of objects includes an object that is marked as containing objectionable content;

limiting access by the second user to the objectionable content in the object that is marked, while allowing the second user to access other objects in the group of objects.

17. The computer storage system of claim 15, further comprising one or more server computers, including the one or more processors, and connected to a computer network, wherein a plurality of users access the one or more server computers over the computer network to access objects stored on the storage.

18. The computer storage system of claim 15, the one or more processors being programmed to cause an indication to be displayed to the user requesting an object that the object being accessed includes objectionable content.