Obscuring and deleting information from a messaging account

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016148014-A1
Application number	US-201414548782-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2014
Priority date	Nov 20, 2014
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In one aspect, a device includes a processor and a memory accessible to the processor. The memory bears instructions executable by the processor to access a messaging account and parse contents of the messaging account to identify personal information to at least obscure in the messaging account.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device, comprising:
a processor; and a memory accessible to the processor and bearing instructions executable by the processor to: access a messaging account; and parse contents of the messaging account to identify personal information to at least obscure in the messaging account.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least obscuring comprises deleting the personal information from the messaging account.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executable to:
in response to identification of at least some personal information to obscure in the messaging account, obscure the personal information from being observed upon access to one or more messages in which the personal information appears.

4 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the personal information is obscured by redacting the personal information in the one or more messages in which it appears.

5 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the personal information is irreversibly obscured.

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executable to:
in response to identification of at least some personal information in at least one message attachment to obscure in the messaging accounts obscure the personal information in the at least one attachment from being observed upon access to the at least one attachment. cm 7 . The device of claim 2 , wherein the instructions are further executable to: in response to identification of at least some personal information to delete from the messaging account, delete the personal information from one or more respective messages in which it exists.

8 . The device of claim 2 , wherein the instructions are further executable to:
in response to identification of at least some personal information to delete from the messaging account, delete one or more messages containing the personal information.

9 . The device of claim 2 , wherein the instructions are further executable to:
in response to identification of at least some personal information to delete from the messaging account in a message attachment, delete the attachment.

10 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the message attachment at least comprises an audio message.

11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the personal information is information selected from the group consisting of: social security number information, bank account number information, password information, loan information, credit card number information, health insurance information, medical record information, bank name information, credit card provider information, health insurance provider name information, healthcare provider name information, bank routing number information.

12 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the messaging account is an account selected from the group consisting of: an email account, a text messaging account.

13 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the contents of the messaging account are parsed in response to a command from a user without further input from a user.

14 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the contents of the messaging account are parsed at intervals in response to a command to parse the contents of the messaging account at intervals to identity personal information to at least obscure in the messaging account.

15 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executable to:
in response to identification of at least some personal information to obscure in one or more messages stored in the messaging account, provide at least one enhanced element of security to access the one or more messages relative to one or more security protocols otherwise required to access messages in the messaging account.

16 . The device of claim 1 , comprising a display, wherein the instructions are further executable to:
in response to identification of at least some personal information to at least one of obscure in the messaging account and delete from the messaging account, present on the display at least first information pertaining to one or more respective messages containing the personal information, present a first option for a user to obscure the personal information in one or more of the respective messages, and present a second option for a user to delete one or more of the respective messages.

17 . A method, comprising:
accessing messages in an account; and parsing the messages to identify information to at least obfuscate in the account.

18 . The method of claim 17 , comprising:
receiving the information to identify from a user.

19 . The method of claim 17 , comprising:
parsing the messages to identify information to at least obfuscate in the account based on at least one of key words and key numerical formats.

20 . A computer readable storage medium that is not a carrier wave, the computer readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processor to:
access messages associated with a messaging account; identify information to at least one of obfuscate in the messages and remove from the messaging account; and at least one of obfuscate the information, and remove the information from the messaging account.

21 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 20 , wherein the instructions are executable to:
in response to identification of at least some of the information in at least a first message, render the first message unable to be forwarded from the messaging account.

Assignees

• Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Peterson Nathan J
• Vanblon Russell Speight
• Weksler Arnold S
• Mese John Carl

Classifications

• G06F21/6245 Primary

  Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes · CPC title

• H04L51/22

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L51/14

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F17/30522

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04L51/42

  Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes · CPC title