Online Privacy Management System with Enhanced Automatic Information Detection

Abstract

A privacy management system (PMS) is disclosed for a Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) or other user to use in monitoring and/or controlling in realtime the flow of data (e.g., outflow) about the user and his/her online experience. The PMS may employ pattern recognition software to evaluate analytics data and potentially block private information from being sent within the analytics data. The PMS may provide a dashboard displaying a whitelist and/or blacklist indicating what destinations/sources are blocked or allowed as well as private information settings indicating what types of private information should be blocked. The PMS includes browser-client scripting code and may also include a PMS-certified verification icon and/or lock and unlock icons for display on webpages being monitored/controlled in realtime by the PMS.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 presenting, by a computing device, a user interface configured to receive user input indicating that transmission of a type of private information to a remotely-located computing device is not permitted;   replicating, by the computing device, a first node of an object model of a webpage to obtain a wrapper object comprising data of the first node;   configuring, by the computing device, the wrapper object to perform an analysis of the data responsive to an attempt to access the data by a second node of the object model;   configuring, by the computing device, the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data responsive to determining from the analysis that the data corresponds to the type of private information; and   replacing, by the computing device, the node of the object model with the wrapper object.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 configuring the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data comprises configuring the wrapper object to refrain from providing the data to the second node.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 configuring the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data comprises configuring the wrapper object to modify the data in order to obtain modified data and provide the modified data to the second node instead of the data.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein:
 a format of the modified data matches a format of the data.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user interface is further configured to receive user-specified data and further comprising:
 configuring the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data responsive to determining from the analysis that the data matches the user-specified data.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 configuring the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data responsive to determining from the analysis that the data corresponds to the type of private information and that the data matches correct data associated with a visitor to the webpage.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the computing device is associated with an owner of the webpage.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the computing device is associated with a visitor to the webpage.   
     
     
         9 . An apparatus comprising:
 one or more processors;   a display device; and   memory storing instructions that, when executed by one or more of the processors, cause the apparatus to
 present, at the display device, a user interface configured to receive user input indicating that transmission of a type of private information to a remotely-located computing device is not permitted, 
 replicate a first node of an object model of a webpage to obtain a wrapper object comprising data of the first node, 
 configure the wrapper object to perform an analysis of the data responsive to an attempt to access the data by a second node of the object model, 
 configure the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data responsive to determining from the analysis that the data corresponds to the type of private information, and 
 replace the node of the object model with the wrapper object. 
   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the instructions, when executed by one or more of the processors, further cause the apparatus to configure the wrapper object to refrain from providing the data to the second node.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the instructions, when executed by one or more of the processors, further cause the apparatus to configure the wrapper object to modify the data in order to obtain modified data and provide the modified data to the second node instead of the data.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein:
 a format of the modified data matches a format of the data.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the user interface is further configured to receive user-specified data; and   the instructions, when executed by one or more of the processors, further cause the apparatus to configure the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data responsive to determining from the analysis that the data matches the user-specified data.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the instructions, when executed by one or more of the processors, further cause the apparatus to configure the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data responsive to determining from the analysis that the data corresponds to the type of private information and that the data matches actual data associated with a visitor to the webpage.   
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, that when executed, cause an apparatus to:
 present a user interface configured to receive user input indicating that transmission of a type of private information to another computing device is not permitted;   replicate a first node of an object model of a webpage to obtain a wrapper object comprising data of the first node;   configure the wrapper object to perform an analysis of the data responsive to an attempt to access the data by a second node of the object model;   configure the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data responsive to determining from the analysis that the data corresponds to the type of private information; and   replacing the node of the object model with the wrapper object.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:
 configure the wrapper object to refrain from providing the data to the second node.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:
 configure the wrapper object to modify the data in order to obtain modified data and provide the modified data to the second node instead of the data.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein:
 a format of the modified data matches a format of the data.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the user interface is further configured to receive user-specified data and the instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:
 configure the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data responsive to determining from the analysis that the data matches the user-specified data.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:
 configure the wrapper object to prevent the second node from accessing the data responsive to determining from the analysis that the data corresponds to the type of private information and that the data matches actual data associated with a visitor to the webpage.