Internet privacy user interface

Abstract

A method and system that provide an intuitive user interface and related components for making Internet users aware of Internet cookie-related privacy issues, and enabling users to control Internet privacy through automatic cookie handling. Default privacy settings for handling cookies are provided, and through the user interface, the privacy settings may be customized to a user's liking. Further, through the user interface, for each individual site that forms a page of content, the site's privacy policy may be reviewed and/or the privacy controlled by specifying how cookies from that site are to be handled. To make users aware, the user interface provides an active alert on a first instance of a retrieved web site's content that fails to include satisfactory privacy information, and thereafter, provides a distinctive passive alert to allow the user selective access to privacy information, per-site cookie handling and cookie handling settings.

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 causing display of a user interface to enable a user to configure cookie handling settings of a web browser, the user interface comprising at least a first set of selection options for first party cookie handling, a second set of selection options for third party cookie handling, and a session cookie handling selection option;   receiving input, via the user interface, to configure the cookie handling settings of the web browser; and   configuring the cookie handling settings of the web browser based on the input received via the user interface.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of selection options for first party cookie handling comprises an accept selection option, a block selection option, and a prompt selection option, and wherein the second set of selection options for third party cookie handling comprises an additional accept selection option, an additional block selection option, and an additional prompt selection option. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein the configuring comprises at least one of:
 configuring the web browser to accept first party cookies responsive to receiving a selection of the accept selection option associated with the first set of selection options; and   configuring the web browser to accept third party cookies responsive to receiving a selection of the additional accept selection option associated with the second set of selection options.   
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein the configuring comprises at least one of:
 configuring the web browser to block first party cookies responsive to receiving a selection of the block selection option associated with the first set of selection options; and   configuring the web browser to block third party cookies responsive to receiving a selection of the additional block selection option associated with the second set of selection options.   
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein the configuring comprises at least one of:
 configuring the web browser to cause display of a prompt dialog when a first party cookie is encountered by the web browser responsive to receiving a selection of the prompt selection option associated with the first set of selection options, the prompt dialog to enable the user to accept or block the first party cookie when the first party cookie is encountered; and   configuring the web browser to cause display of the prompt dialog when a third party cookie is encountered by the web browser responsive to receiving a selection of the additional prompt selection option associated with the second set of selection options, the prompt dialog to enable the user to accept or block the third party cookie when the third party cookie is encountered   
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the configuring comprises configuring the web browser to accept session cookies responsive to receiving a selection of the session cookie handling selection option. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , wherein the selection of the session cookie handling selection option causes the web browser to allow session cookies regardless of whether first party cookies or third party cookies are configured to be blocked. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a response to a request for content of a remote server during a browsing session using the web browser, the response comprising data directed to a requested operation on a cookie;   determining whether the cookie is a first-party cookie or a third-party cookie;   determining whether the cookie is a persistent cookie or a session cookie;   determining a privacy result based on whether the cookie is a first party cookie or a third party cookie, and whether the cookie is a persistent cookie or a session cookie, based on the configuration of the cookie handling settings of the web browser.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , further comprising allowing the requested operation on the cookie if the privacy result indicates the requested operation on the cookie should be allowed. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , further comprising blocking the requested operation on the cookie if the privacy result indicates the requested operation on the cookie should be blocked. 
     
     
         11 . One or more computer-readable storage media, having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, implement a method comprising:
 causing display of a user interface to enable a user to configure cookie handling settings of a web browser, the user interface comprising at least a first set of selection options for first party cookie handling, a second set of selection options for third party cookie handling, and a session cookie handling selection option;   receiving input, via the user interface, to configure the cookie handling settings of the web browser; and   configuring the cookie handling settings of the web browser based on the input received via the user interface.   
     
     
         12 . The one or more computer-readable storage media of  claim 11 , wherein the first set of selection options for first party cookie handling comprises an accept selection option, a block selection option, and a prompt selection option, and wherein the second set of selection options for third party cookie handling comprises an additional accept selection option, an additional block selection option, and an additional prompt selection option. 
     
     
         13 . The one or more computer-readable storage media of  claim 12 , wherein the configuring comprises at least one of:
 configuring the web browser to accept first party cookies responsive to receiving a selection of the accept selection option associated with the first set of selection options; and   configuring the web browser to accept third party cookies responsive to receiving a selection of the additional accept selection option associated with the second set of selection options.   
     
     
         14 . The one or more computer-readable storage media of  claim 12 , wherein the configuring comprises at least one of:
 configuring the web browser to block first party cookies responsive to receiving a selection of the block selection option associated with the first set of selection options; and   configuring the web browser to block third party cookies responsive to receiving a selection of the additional block selection option associated with the second set of selection options.   
     
     
         15 . The one or more computer-readable storage media of  claim 12 , wherein the configuring comprises at least one of:
 configuring the web browser to cause display of a prompt dialog when a first party cookie is encountered by the web browser responsive to receiving a selection of the prompt selection option associated with the first set of selection options, the prompt dialog to enable the user to accept or block the first party cookie when the first party cookie is encountered; and   configuring the web browser to cause display of the prompt dialog when a third party cookie is encountered by the web browser responsive to receiving a selection of the additional prompt selection option associated with the second set of selection options, the prompt dialog to enable the user to accept or block the third party cookie when the third party cookie is encountered   
     
     
         16 . The one or more computer-readable storage media of  claim 11 , wherein the configuring comprises configuring the web browser to accept session cookies responsive to receiving a selection of the session cookie handling selection option. 
     
     
         17 . The one or more computer-readable storage media of  claim 16 , wherein the selection of the session cookie handling selection option causes the web browser to allow session cookies regardless of whether first party cookies or third party cookies are configured to be blocked. 
     
     
         18 . The one or more computer-readable storage media of  claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving a response to a request for content of a remote server during a browsing session using the web browser, the response comprising data directed to a requested operation on a cookie;   determining whether the cookie is a first-party cookie or a third-party cookie;   determining whether the cookie is a persistent cookie or a session cookie;   determining a privacy result based on whether the cookie is a first party cookie or a third party cookie, and whether the cookie is a persistent cookie or a session cookie, based on the configuration of the cookie handling settings of the web browser.   
     
     
         19 . The one or more computer-readable storage media of  claim 18 , wherein the method further comprises:
 allowing the requested operation on the cookie if the privacy result indicates the requested operation on the cookie should be allowed; or   blocking the requested operation on the cookie if the privacy result indicates the requested operation on the cookie should be blocked.   
     
     
         20 . A computer device comprising:
 a processor;   one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause display of a user interface configured to enable a user to configure cookie handling settings of a web browser, the user interface comprising:
 a first set of selection options configured to receive input to configure first party cookie handling settings of the web browser, the first set of selection options comprising an accept selection option configured to receive input to cause the web browser to accept first party cookies, a block selection option configured to receive input to cause the web browser to block first party cookies, and a prompt selection option configured to receive input to cause the web browser to prompt the user for confirmation before accepting first party cookies; 
 a second set of selection options configured to receive input to configure third party cookie handling settings of the web browser, the second set of selection options comprising an additional accept selection option configured to receive input to cause the web browser to accept third party cookies, an additional block selection option configured to receive input to cause the web browser to block third party cookies, and an additional prompt selection option configured to receive input to cause the web browser to prompt the user for confirmation before accepting third party cookies; and 
 a session cookie handling selection option, the session cookie handling selection option configured to receive input to cause the web browser to allow session cookie regardless of whether first party cookies or third party cookies are configured to be blocked.