Digital Assistant Output Concealment via Contextual Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions fail to dynamically filter audible responses from digital assistants based on user classification, surrounding context, or preconfigured privacy settings, leading to potential public disclosure of confidential information.
Innovation Solution
An information handling device receives an indication to provide output, identifies if the output contains confidential information, and alters it to conceal such information if it may be heard by others, using methods like adjusting volume, output device selection, or altering content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If digital assistants broadcast audible responses to user queries, then information accessibility and user experience are improved, but confidential information may be inadvertently disclosed to unauthorized individuals
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary classification of information to identify confidential content before broadcasting the audible response. This advance identification allows the system to prepare appropriate concealment measures, ensuring that confidential information is protected before it can be overheard by unauthorized individuals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer between the digital assistant's response generation and the audible output. This intermediary analyzes the response content, identifies confidential information, and applies appropriate concealment techniques such as masking or summarization, thereby mediating between information accessibility and privacy protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the system alters output to conceal confidential information, then privacy protection is improved, but the completeness and accuracy of information transmission deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by selectively concealing only the confidential portions of the response while leaving non-confidential information intact. This targeted approach ensures that privacy protection is applied precisely where needed, maintaining the completeness and accuracy of the overall information transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the level of information disclosure based on the presence of confidential content. The system can modify response parameters such as verbosity, detail level, or masking intensity to balance privacy protection with information completeness, altering the output characteristics rather than simply truncating information.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the system monitors and classifies output content, then confidential information protection is improved, but computational complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the output analysis process into distinct stages: initial scanning for confidential keywords, detailed classification of identified content, and final determination of concealment requirements. This segmentation allows the system to apply computational resources selectively, reducing overall complexity while maintaining effective confidential information protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically classify and identify confidential information using pre-configured criteria and machine learning models. This automated self-service approach reduces the need for complex manual monitoring and classification processes, thereby lowering computational complexity while maintaining protection effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment provides a method, including: receiving, at an information handling device, an indication to provide output; identifying that the output comprises confidential information; determining, using a processor, that the output may be heard by at least one other user; and altering, responsive to the determining, the output to conceal the confidential information. Other aspects are described and claimed.