Social media and data sharing controls for data security purposes

• US 9,270,777 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sorensen, Christian Blake
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US13/911,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20130290426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications

Abstract

Social media and data sharing controls may be provided. Upon receiving a request to transmit an element of data to a recipient, a determination may be made as to whether the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data. In response to determining that the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data, the element of data may be transmitted. In response to determining that the recipient is not appropriate to receive the element of data, at least one remedial action may be performed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to transmit an element of data to a recipient, the request identifying a public server through which the element of data is requested to be shared;

identifying a service associated with the public server;

determining whether the element of data is allowed to be shared through the service associated with the public server based upon an analysis of the content of the element of data;

determining whether a contact record associated with the recipient is a work contact or a personal contact of the sender;

determining whether the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data based upon an identity of the service and whether the contact record is a work contact or a personal contact;

in response to determining that the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data, causing the element of data to be transmitted; and

in response to determining that the recipient is not appropriate to receive the element of data, causing at least one remedial action to be performed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient comprises a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact record comprises a categorization property.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising identifying a category associated with the element of data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining whether the category associated with the element of data is appropriate for sharing with a user associated with the categorization property of the contact record.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient is associated with a social media network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data comprises determining whether the element of data is approved for sharing to the social media network.

8. A system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processor coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processor is configured to;

receive a request to transmit an element of data to a recipient, the request identifying a public server through which the element of data is requested to be shared;

identifying a service associated with the public server;

determining whether the element of data is allowed to be shared through the service associated with the public server based upon an analysis of the content of the element of data;

determining whether a contact record associated with the recipient is a work contact or a personal contact of the sender;

determine whether the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data based upon an identity of the service and whether the contact record is a work contact or a personal contact;

in response to determining that the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data, cause the element of data to be transmitted; and

in response to determining that the recipient is not appropriate to receive the element of data, cause at least one remedial action to be performed.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the element of data comprises a document.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the element of data comprises a activity description.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one remedial action comprises at least one of the following:

a denial of the request to transmit the element of data, a confirmation request associated with the request to transmit the element of data, a notification associated with the request to transmit the element of data, and a log creation associated with the request to transmit the element of data.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to categorize the at least one of the plurality of contact records.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions that when executed performs a method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving a request to transmit an element of data to a recipient, the request identifying a public server through which the element of data is requested to be shared;

determining whether the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data, the request identifying a public server through which the element of data is requested to be shared;

identifying a service associated with the public server;

determining whether the element of data is allowed to be shared through the service associated with the public server based upon an analysis of the content of the element of data;

determining whether a contact record associated with the recipient is a work contact or a personal contact of the sender;

in response to determining that the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data, causing the element of data to be transmitted; and

in response to determining that the recipient is not appropriate to receive the element of data, causing at least one remedial action to be performed.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

categorizing the element of data; and

categorizing the recipient.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein determining whether the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data comprises determining whether a category of the element of data is appropriate to be shared with a category associated with the recipient.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein determining whether the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data comprises determining whether the recipient is associated with a white list.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein determining whether the recipient is appropriate to receive the element of data comprises determining whether the recipient is associated with a white list.