Methods and systems for determining a compliance level of an application with respect to a privacy profile associated with a user

• US 9,665,709 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Udani, Sanjay
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr, Farid
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsang, Henry
• Application Number:
  US14/480,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20140380496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• 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 8/61 Installation

Abstract

An exemplary method includes an application management system 1) detecting a request provided by a user to install an application on a user device, 2) identifying a plurality of privacy attributes of the application, 3) determining, based on the identified privacy attributes, a compliance level of the application with respect to a privacy profile associated with the user, the compliance level representing a degree to which the application complies with the privacy profile associated with the user, and 4) directing, prior to the installation of the application, the user device to present a graphic that represents the determined compliance level of the application. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

associating, by one or more devices, a privacy profile with a user;

identifying, by the one or more devices and after associating the privacy profile with the user, one or more privacy attributes of an application;

determining, by the one or more devices, a compliance level of the application based on the privacy profile associated with the user and the one or more privacy attributes of the application,

the compliance level representing a degree to which the application complies with the privacy profile associated with the user; and

providing, by the one or more devices and based on the compliance level of the application, an option to install an upgraded version of the application.

2. The method of claim 1, where the compliance level indicates that the application does not fully comply with the privacy profile associated with the user.

3. The method claim 1, where the upgraded version of the application complies with the privacy profile associated with the user more than the application.

4. The method of claim 1, where providing the option to install the upgraded version of the application comprises:

determining that the upgraded version of the application exists by querying a provider of the application,

determining a different compliance level of the upgraded version of the application based on the privacy profile associated with the user, and

providing the option to install the upgraded version of the application based on the compliance level of the application and the different compliance level of the upgraded version of the application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying, based on the compliance level of the application, a different user that the application does not comply with the privacy profile associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 5, where the different user is a parent of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a different user, authorization to install the application.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a request to install the application on a user device of the user before determining the compliance level of the application.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processors, implemented at least partially in hardware, to;

associate a privacy profile with a user;

identify, after associating the privacy profile with the user, one or more privacy attributes of an application;

determine a compliance level of the application based on the privacy profile associated with the user and the one or more privacy attributes of the application,

the compliance level representing a degree to which the application complies with the privacy profile associated with the user; and

provide, based on the compliance level of the application, an option to install an upgraded version of the application.

10. The system of claim 9, where the one or more processors are further to:

determine, based on the compliance level, that the application does not fully comply with the privacy profile associated with the user, and

provide content to a different user that indicates the application does not fully comply with the privacy profile associated with the user.

11. The system of claim 10, where the content includes a description of one or more reasons why the application does not fully comply with the privacy profile.

12. The system of claim 9, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive information identifying a selection from a different user to cancel an installation of the application on a user device of the user.

13. The system of claim 9, where the one or more processors are to:

provide data representative of the compliance level to a provider of the application.

14. The system of claim 9,

where the application is installed before the one or more privacy attributes of the application are identified, and

where the one or more processors are to:

determine, based on the compliance level, that the installed application does not fully comply with the privacy profile associated with the user, and

provide, to the user, an option to uninstall the application after determining that the installed application does not fully comply with the privacy profile associated with the user.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

identify a privacy profile associated with a user;

identify one or more privacy attributes of an application;

determine a compliance level of the application based on the privacy profile associated with the user and the one or more privacy attributes of the application,

the compliance level representing a degree to which the application complies with the privacy profile associated with the user; and

provide, based on the compliance level of the application, an option to install an upgraded version of the application.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

detect, before determining the compliance level of the application, a request by the user to install the application on a user device that includes the at least one processor.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions to provide the option to install the upgraded version of the application comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine, based on the compliance level of the application, that the application does not fully comply with the privacy profile associated with the user, and

provide, to the user, the option to install the upgraded version of the application after determining that the application does not fully comply with the privacy profile associated with the user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions to provide the option to install the upgraded version of the application comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine that the upgraded version of the application exists,

determine that the upgraded version of the application more fully complies with the privacy profile associated with the user than the application, and

provide, to the user, the option to install the upgraded version of the application based on determining that the upgraded version of the application more fully complies with the privacy profile associated with the user than the application.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

provide, to a different user and based on the compliance level of the application, a notification that the application does not comply with the privacy profile associated with the user, and

receive, from the different user, a selection of an option to prevent the user from installing the application.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

provide a description of one or more reasons why the application does not fully comply with the privacy profile associated with the user.