Indicating website reputations based on website handling of personal information

• US 20060253583A1
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Pinckney, Thomas, Dixon, Christopher John
• Granted Patent: US 8,566,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention relates to the methods and systems involved in receiving an indicator of an attempt by a user to interact with a website and presenting indicia of the website'"'"'s reputation to the user, the reputation may be at least in part based on information about how an entity associated with the website treats personal information of users of the website.

Claims

1-44. -44. (canceled)

45. A method, comprising:

receiving an indicator of an attempt by a user to interact with a website; and

presenting indicia of a website'"'"'s reputation to the user, wherein the reputation is at least in part based on information about how an entity associated with the website treats personal information of users of the website.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the presentation is provided through a graphic associated with a personal information query facility.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the indicia is provided through a reputation indicator within a graphical user interface.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the reputation indicator is presented on a tool bar.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the reputation indicator is presented on menu bar.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the user is prevented from providing information.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein the user is prevented from sending information.

52. The method of claim 45, wherein the user does not enter a website because of the reputation indicator.

53. The method of claim 45, wherein the reputation indicator presents a suggested alternate website to the user.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the alternate website has a favorable reputation.

55. A system, comprising:

a receiving facility adapted to receive an indicator of an attempt by a user to interact with a website; and

a presenting facility adapted to present indicia of a website'"'"'s reputation to the user, wherein the reputation is at least in part based on information about how an entity associated with the website treats personal information of users of the website.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the presentation is provided through a graphic associated with a personal information query facility.

57. The system of claim 55, wherein the indicia is provided through a reputation indicator within a graphical user interface.

58. The system of claim 57, wherein the reputation indicator is presented on a tool bar.

59. The system of claim 57, wherein the reputation indicator is presented on menu bar.

60. The system of claim 55, wherein the user is prevented from providing information.

61. The system of claim 55, wherein the user is prevented from sending information.

62. The system of claim 55, wherein the user does not enter a website because of the reputation indicator.

63. The system of claim 55, wherein the reputation indicator presents a suggested alternate website to the user.

64. The system of claim 63, wherein the alternate website has a favorable reputation.