Policy-based image management

• US 8,666,167 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Albouyeh, Shadi E., Lin, Yen-Kwang, Weir, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAINI, AMANDEEP SINGH
• Application Number:
  US13/176,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20130011068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/190
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation

Abstract

The different illustrative embodiments provide a method, computer program product, and apparatus for managing an image. A determination is made whether an object is present in a subset of a plurality of images using an identification of the object. A determination is made whether the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy for the user associated with the object responsive to a determination that the object is present in the subset of the plurality of images using a policy for a user associated with the object. A removal action of the object is performed on the subset of the plurality of images responsive to an absence of a determination that the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy.

Claims

1. A method for managing an image comprising:

receiving a set of images at a social networking site;

determining whether a particular person is present in a subset of the set of images using a facial recognition on the set of images;

responsive to a determination that the particular person is present in the subset of the set of images, identifying a policy for the particular person;

determining whether a second particular person is present in the subset of the set of images using the facial recognition on the set of images, wherein the policy indicates that the particular person is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images with the second particular person;

determining whether presence of the particular person in the subset of the set of images violates the policy; and

responsive to a determination that the presence of the particular person in the subset of the set of images violates the policy, performing a removal action of the particular person on the subset of the set of images.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is a first image and further comprising:

receiving an identification of the particular person in a prior image and a set of desired permissions for the particular person; and

generating the policy for use of the particular person in the set of images using the set of desired permissions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the particular person is permitted to be present in the subset of the set of images violates the policy comprises:

determining whether the subset of the set of images includes metadata comprising a first key matching a second key in the policy, wherein the second key indicates the particular person is permitted to be present in the image; and

responsive to a determination that the subset of the set of images includes the metadata comprising the first key matching the second key in the policy, determining that the particular person is permitted to be present in the subset of the set of images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the particular person is permitted to be present in the subset of the set of images using the policy comprises:

determining whether the user that stored the subset of the set of images is permitted to store the subset of the set of images, wherein the policy comprises a plurality of users that are permitted to store the set of images in which the particular person is present.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the removal action of the particular person on the subset of the set of images comprises:

identifying an administrator of a website on which the subset of the set of images is located; and

sending a notification to the administrator indicating that the subset of the set of images should be removed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy comprises a set of users that are permitted to publish imagery of the particular person.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the particular person is permitted to be present in the subset of the set of images using the policy comprises:

determining whether a publisher of the subset of the set of images is one of the set of users that are permitted to publish the imagery of the particular person.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy comprises a key that indicates that the image is authorized by the particular person.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to the determination that the presence of the particular person in the subset of the set of images violates the policy, removing the set of images from a data source that stores the set of images.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the removal action comprises:

sending a notification to an individual selected from the particular person and a delegate of the particular person.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a second particular person is present in the subset of the set of images; and

wherein determining whether the particular person is permitted to be present in the subset of the set of images using the policy comprises determining whether the particular person and the second particular person are both permitted to be present in the subset of the set of images, and wherein the policy comprises a set of permissions for the subset of the set of images that contains the particular person.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the removal action of the particular person on the subset of the set of images comprises:

removing the particular person from the subset of the set of images.

13. A computer program product device for managing an image, the computer program product device comprising:

a computer recordable storage medium;

program instructions, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for receiving a set of images at a social networking site;

program instructions, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for determining whether a particular person is present in a subset of the set of images using a facial recognition on the set of images;

program instructions, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for identifying a policy for the particular person responsive to a determination that the particular person is present in the subset of the set of images;

program instructions, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for determining whether a second particular person is present in the subset of the set of images using the facial recognition on the set of images, wherein the policy indicates that the particular person is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images with the second particular person;

program instructions, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for determining whether presence of the particular person in the subset of the set of images violates the policy;

program instructions, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for performing a removal action of the particular person on the subset of the set of images responsive to a determination that the presence of the particular person in the subset of the set of images violates the policy.

14. The computer program product device of claim 13, wherein the program instructions are stored in a computer readable storage medium in a data processing system, and wherein the program instructions were downloaded over a network from a remote data processing system.

15. The computer program product device of claim 13, wherein the program instructions are stored in a computer readable storage medium in a server data processing system, and wherein the program instructions are downloaded over a network to a remote data processing system for use in a computer readable storage medium with the remote data processing system.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device includes program code; and

a processor unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processor unit processes the program code to receive a set of images at a social networking site;

to determine whether a particular person is present in a subset of the set of images using a facial recognition on the set of images;

responsive to a determination that the particular person is present in the subset of the set of images, identifying a policy for the particular person;

to determine whether a second particular person is present in the subset of the set of images using the facial recognition on the set of images, wherein the policy indicates that the particular person is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images with the second particular person;

to determine whether presence of the particular person in the subset of the set of images violates the policy; and

to perform a removal action of the particular person on the subset of the set of images responsive to a determination that the presence of the particular person in the subset of the set of images violates the policy.