Selective regulation of information transmission from mobile applications to third-party privacy complaint target systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9294912-B1
Application number	US-201313900471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 22, 2013
Priority date	May 22, 2013
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

Selective regulation of information transmission from mobile applications to a third-party privacy compliant target system. A privacy policy is configured for and mapped to each of a multiplicity of mobile application concerns, with each privacy policy comprising rules regulating the transmission of information to a third-party privacy compliant target system. Instrumentation instructions can be integrated with a mobile application and provided to a mobile device. The instrumentation instructions direct the mobile application to submit a privacy policy request comprising a mobile application identifier from the mobile device to a third-party privacy compliance system and enable sending information from the mobile device to the third-party privacy compliant target system, subject to the privacy policy. The privacy policy request is received at the third-party privacy compliance system which selects the privacy policy based on an application identifier and sends the privacy policy to the mobile device for implementation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for selectively regulating transmission of information from a mobile device to a third-party privacy compliance system, the method comprising:
configuring a privacy policy at a third-party privacy compliance system for each of a plurality of mobile application vendors' software installation cohorts, wherein each respective privacy policy comprises one or more rules for regulating transmission of information collected by the mobile device to a third-party privacy compliance system, the third-party privacy compliance system being a third party system with respect to each of the plurality of mobile application vendors and each privacy policy is mapped to a respective identifier, each respective identifier common to a plurality of mobile devices of a software installation cohort;
providing instrumentation instructions for integration with a mobile application and operation by a mobile device, wherein the instrumentation instructions comprise instructions for:
sending a privacy policy request comprising the identifier of the mobile application's software installation cohort from the mobile device to the third-party privacy compliance system;
collecting information by the mobile application;
responsive to receiving the privacy policy from the third-party privacy compliance system, selecting, at the mobile device, privacy-compliant information from the collected information in compliance with the received policy; and
sending the privacy-compliant information from the mobile device to the third-party privacy compliance system;

receiving the privacy policy request at the third-party privacy compliance system from the mobile device, the privacy policy request comprising an identifier of a mobile application's software installation cohort;
selecting the privacy policy at the third-party privacy compliance system based on the received identifier; and
sending the privacy policy from the third-party privacy compliance system to the mobile device for implementation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the instrumentation instructions further comprise instructions for:
implementing a default privacy policy for regulating transmission of information to the third-party privacy compliance system, at the mobile device, for use in the absence of a valid privacy policy at the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the instrumentation instructions further comprise instructions for:
invalidating the privacy policy, after an end of a mobile application use-session.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the instrumentation instructions further comprise instructions for:
detecting the absence of a valid privacy policy; and
sending a new privacy policy request from the mobile device to the third-party privacy compliance system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the instrumentation instructions further comprise instructions for:
detecting that advertising tracking for the mobile device has been disabled; and
prohibiting transmission of all information to the third-party privacy compliance system.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the instrumentation instructions further comprise instructions for:
detecting that advertising tracking for the mobile device has been disabled; and
initiating generation of a new application installation identifier, for one or more mobile applications integrated with the implementation instructions on the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:
at least one rule is configured by a third-party privacy compliance system operator.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:
at least one rule is configured by a mobile application vendor.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:
at least one rule is configured by a mobile device operator.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein:
the at least one rule configured by a mobile device operator is managed on the mobile device and is not transmitted to the third-party privacy compliance system.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the instrumentation instructions comprise:
instructions for receiving a mobile device operator configured rule; and
enabling global application of the mobile device operator configured rule to all mobile applications integrated with instrumentation instructions from the third-party privacy compliance system on the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the collected information comprises a mobile application status.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the collected information comprises a history of interaction with the mobile application.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium executing computer program instructions for selectively regulating transmission of information from a mobile device to a third-party privacy compliance system, the computer program instructions comprising instructions for:
configuring a privacy policy at a third-party privacy compliance system for each of a plurality of mobile application vendors' software installation cohorts, wherein each respective privacy policy comprises one or more rules for regulating transmission of information collected by the mobile device to a third-party privacy compliance system, the third-party privacy compliance system being a third party system with respect to each of the plurality of mobile application vendors and each privacy policy is mapped to a respective identifier, each respective identifier common to a plurality of mobile devices of a software installation cohort;
providing instrumentation instructions for integration with a mobile application and operation by a mobile device, wherein the instrumentation instructions comprise instructions for:
sending a privacy policy request comprising the identifier of the mobile application's software installation cohort from the mobile device to the third-party privacy compliance system;
collecting information by the mobile application;
responsive to receiving the privacy policy from the third-party privacy compliance system, selecting, at the mobile device, privacy-compliant information from the collected information in compliance with the received policy; and
sending the privacy-compliant information from the mobile device to the third-party privacy compliance system;

receiving the privacy policy request at the third-party privacy compliance system from the mobile device, the privacy policy request comprising an identifier of a mobile application's software installation cohort;
selecting the privacy policy at the third-party privacy compliance system based on the received identifier; and
sending the privacy policy from the third-party privacy compliance system to the mobile device for implementation.

15. The medium of claim 14 wherein the instrumentation instructions further comprise instructions for:
implementing a default privacy policy for regulating transmission of information to the third-party privacy compliance system, at the mobile device, for use in the absence of a valid privacy policy at the mobile device.

16. The medium of claim 14 wherein the instrumentation instructions further comprise instructions for:
invalidating the privacy policy, after an end of a mobile application use-session.

17. The medium of claim 14 wherein:
at least one rule is configured by a mobile device operator.

18. The medium of claim 14 wherein:
the collected information comprises a mobile application status.

19. The medium of claim 14 wherein:
the collected information comprises a history of interaction with the mobile application.

Assignees

• Quantcast Corp

Inventors

• Flowerday Crispin Edward Harold
• Kamprath Michael F
• Shareshwala Faraaz Aejaz
• Vogel Fernandez De Castro Daniel

Classifications

• G06F21/6245

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

• G06F21/629

  to features or functions of an application · CPC title

• H04L63/20 Primary

  for managing network security; network security policies in general (filtering policies H04L63/0227) · CPC title

• G06F21/6272

  by registering files or documents with a third party · CPC title

• G06F21/62

  Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules · CPC title