System and method for temporary obfuscation during collaborative communications

• US 9,100,373 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeLuca, Lisa Seacat, Jang, Soobaek
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Luu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Jenise
• Application Number:
  US14/018,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20140208445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26, 726/30
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• 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 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Systems and methods for temporary obfuscation during collaborative communications are provided. A method for obfuscation during collaborative communications, comprises entering a message including content into a first messaging device, marking the content as sensitive, sending the message including the content via a network to a second messaging device, and obfuscating the marked content and displaying any remaining portions of the message on the second messaging device.

Claims

1. A system for obfuscation during collaborative communications, comprising:

a first messaging device and a second messaging device connected to each other via a network, wherein the first and second messaging devices each include;

at least one processor coupled to a memory;

a user interface and an input device through which a user of the messaging device is able to instruct the system to mark content of a message as sensitive;

a content module for marking the content of the message as sensitive, and obfuscating the marked content, wherein the marked content is obfuscated on the messaging device which receives the message;

a message analyzer module connected to the content module, wherein the message analyzer module analyzes the marked content;

a preference rules module for outputting to the content module one or more predetermined preference rules that instruct that the message or a part of the message be marked as sensitive, wherein the predetermined preference rules are based on at least one of location, time, or people in proximity to the messaging devices; and

a detection module for determining at least one of a presence of a device in proximity to, a presence of a person in proximity to, or a location of each of the first and second messaging devices;

wherein the content module automatically generates details about the marked content based on the analysis;

wherein the automatically generated details are transmitted via the network to a user of the messaging device which receives the message;

wherein analyzing the marked content comprises analyzing use of at least one of keywords and key phrases in the marked content, wherein the automatically generated details are based on at least one of the keywords and key phrases;

wherein the collaborative communications comprise at least one of instant messaging, messages sent via short message service (SMS) and messages sent via multimedia messaging service (MMS); and

wherein the content, message analyzer, preference rules and detection modules are executed on the at least one processor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the message analyzer module analyzes the message to determine the presence of at least one of a graphic, meta data, a keyword or a key phrase.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein if the message analyzer module finds at least one of the graphic, meta data, keyword or key phrase, the message analyzer module outputs the finding to the content module, wherein the content module applies a flag to mark a part of the message corresponding to the at least one of the graphic, meta data, keyword or key phrase as sensitive.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the content module marks as sensitive and obfuscates the message or the part of the message based on the predetermined preference rules.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein, prior to obfuscation of the marked content on the messaging device which receives the message, the preference rule module performs a check to determine whether any preference rules have been implemented which may put conditions on whether the marked content is obfuscated.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a user of the messaging device from which the message is sent provides further details about the marked content via the input device, and wherein the further details are transmitted via the network to a user of the messaging device which receives the message.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the marked content remains visible on the messaging device from which the message is sent.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the marked content is obfuscated on the messaging device from which the message is sent.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code tangibly embodied thereon, which when executed by a computer, performs method steps for obfuscation during collaborative communications, the method steps comprising:

entering a message including content into a first messaging device;

marking the content as sensitive;

analyzing the marked content;

automatically generating details about the marked content based on the analysis;

sending the message including the marked content and the automatically generated details about the marked content via a network to a second messaging device;

applying one or more predetermined preference rules that instruct that the message or a part of the message be marked as sensitive, wherein the predetermined preference rules are based on at least one of location, time, or people in proximity to the second messaging device; and

determining at least one of a presence of a device in proximity to, a presence of a person in proximity to, or a location of the second messaging device; and

obfuscating the marked content and displaying any remaining portions of the message on the second messaging device;

wherein analyzing the marked content comprises analyzing use of at least one of keywords and key phrases in the marked content, wherein the automatically generated details are based on at least one of the keywords and key phrases; and

wherein the collaborative communications comprise at least one of instant messaging, messages sent via short message service (SMS) and messages sent via multimedia messaging service (MMS).

11. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein analyzing the marked content is performed in conjunction with the one or more predetermined preference rules, and the automatically generated details are based on the one or more predetermined preference rules.

10. An apparatus for obfuscation during collaborative communications, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute code stored in the memory for;

entering a message including content into a first messaging device;

marking the content as sensitive;

analyzing the marked content;

automatically generating details about the marked content based on the analysis;

sending the message including the marked content and the automatically generated details about the marked content via a network to a second messaging device;

applying one or more predetermined preference rules that instruct that the message or a part of the message be marked as sensitive, wherein the predetermined preference rules are based on at least one of location, time, or people in proximity to the second messaging device; and

determining at least one of a presence of a device in proximity to, a presence of a person in proximity to, or a location of the second messaging device; and

obfuscating the marked content and displaying any remaining portions of the message on the second messaging device;

wherein analyzing the marked content comprises analyzing use of at least one of keywords and key phrases in the marked content, wherein the automatically generated details are based on at least one of the keywords and key phrases; and

wherein the collaborative communications comprise at least one of instant messaging, messages sent via short message service (SMS) and messages sent via multimedia messaging service (MMS).