Methods and apparatus for reporting location privacy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9277364-B2
Application number	US-201213531908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2012
Priority date	Jun 25, 2012
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

Privacy evaluation in a mobile electronic device. Location data collected by one or more applications operating on the electronic device is evaluated to determine the precision with which a user's location and movements can be reconstructed based on the location data collected by one or more of the applications. Information relating to such precision may be presented to the user, suitably by a graphic display representing a circle or ellipse within which the user's movement cannot be determined or a set of streets within which the user's movement cannot be determined.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor;
memory storing computer program code;
wherein the computer program code is configured to, with the memory and the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least:
evaluate location data collected by at least one application operating on a user device and collect location information for the user device for delivery to another party, wherein the evaluation determines an uncertainty with which the location data represents at least one of location of the device and movement of the device over time, wherein the location data comprises a plurality of timestamped location samples collected as the application periodically polls a location determination device over time, and wherein evaluation is performed by determining the uncertainty with which one or more of location and movement can be reconstructed using the information provided by the samples; and
configure a graphical representation of the uncertainty for presentation using a display of the device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the location data comprises at least two location samples collected at time intervals.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the uncertainty is computed based at least in part on a maximum speed of the device between samples.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one application comprises a plurality of applications, and wherein location data collected by each application is evaluated separately from that collected by the other applications.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the graphical representation of the uncertainty comprises at least one of a circle and an ellipse.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the location data comprises at least two location samples collected at time intervals and wherein the graphical representation of the uncertainty comprises a representation of a set of streets where the user might have been located during an interval between samples.

7. A method comprising:
evaluating location data collected by at least one application operating on a user device to determine an uncertainty with which the location data represents at least one of location of the device and movement of the device over time, wherein the location data comprises a plurality of timestamped location samples collected as the application periodically polls a location determination device over time, and wherein evaluation is performed by determining the uncertainty with which one or more of location and movement can be reconstructed using the information provided by the samples; and
configuring a graphical representation of the uncertainty for presentation using a display of the device.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the location data comprises at least two location samples collected at time intervals.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the uncertainty is computed based at least in part on a maximum speed of the device between samples.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one application comprises a plurality of applications, and wherein location data collected by each application is evaluated separately from that collected by the other applications.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the graphical representation of the uncertainty comprises at least one of a circle and an ellipse.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the location data comprises at least two location samples collected at time intervals and wherein the graphical representation of the uncertainty comprises a representation of a set of streets where the user might have been located during an interval between samples.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program of instructions, execution of which by a processor configures an apparatus to at least:
evaluate location data collected by at least one application operating on a user device to determine an uncertainty with which the location data represents at least one of location of the device and movement of the device over time, wherein the location data comprises a plurality of timestamped location samples collected as the application periodically polls a location determination device over time, and wherein evaluation is performed by determining the uncertainty with which one or more of location and movement can be reconstructed using the information provided by the samples; and
configure a graphical representation of the uncertainty for presentation using a display of the device.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the location data comprises at least two location samples collected at time intervals.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the uncertainty is computed based at least in part on a maximum speed of the device between samples.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the at least one application comprises a plurality of applications, and wherein location data collected by each application is evaluated separately from that collected by the other applications.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the graphical representation of the uncertainty comprises at least one of a circle and an ellipse.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the location data comprises at least two location samples collected at time intervals and wherein the graphical representation of the uncertainty comprises a representation of a set of streets where the user might have been located during an interval between samples.

Assignees

• Aad Imad
• Bilogrevic Igor
• Huguenin Kevin
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Aad Imad
• Bilogrevic Igor
• Huguenin Kevin

Classifications

• H04W4/028 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W12/02

  Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII] · CPC title

• H04W4/029 Primary

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title