Browser Store Segmentation for Tab Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional web browsers with tabbed viewing configurations share a common browser store across all tabs, leading to privacy concerns as third-party data can be deposited and used to track user activities without the user's knowledge, as data is not exclusively reserved for the active tab.
Innovation Solution
A browser administering system that monitors and regulates the browser store by relocating data unrelated to the active tab to a virtual memory, ensuring that only data from the currently active tab is stored, thereby preventing third-party data from being retained and used for tracking purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a common browser store is shared across all tabs, then data storage capacity is increased and multiple websites can access their data, but user privacy is compromised and third-party tracking becomes possible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the common browser store into multiple isolated stores, with each store dedicated to a specific tab or website. This segmentation prevents third-party tracking while maintaining adequate storage capacity for each website's data needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by giving each tab its own dedicated browser store with specific properties isolated from other tabs. This ensures that data stored in one tab's store cannot be accessed by other tabs, thereby protecting user privacy while maintaining storage functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If third-party data is allowed in the browser store, then content delivery and tracking functionality is enabled, but unauthorized tracking and privacy violations occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the browser store by tab origin, allowing each tab to have its own dedicated store that accepts data only from its associated website. This maintains content delivery capability while preventing third-party tracking through isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism that mediates data storage requests by verifying the tab's active status and origin before allowing data to be stored. This intermediary layer enables legitimate content delivery while blocking unauthorized third-party tracking attempts.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the browser store retains data from inactive tabs, then data persistence is maintained, but privacy protection is reduced and storage space is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic browser store allocation where each tab has its own store that is activated only when the tab is active. When a tab becomes inactive, its associated browser store is automatically deactivated or cleared, preventing data persistence from inactive tabs while maintaining functionality when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies discarding and recovering by clearing or deactivating browser store data when tabs become inactive, and recovering the storage capacity for use by active tabs. This dynamic allocation protects privacy by preventing inactive tab data from persisting while maintaining data availability when tabs are active.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for administering a browser store for computing device web browser applications, particularly browsers featuring tabbed viewing of web pages. A qualifying trigger event, such as a change in the current active tab of the browser, or a navigation to a URL in the active tab, is detected by an exemplary system. The system, having been monitoring user interaction with the browser's tabs, regulates the browser store such that, upon detecting a trigger event, only data (e.g., cookies) pertaining to the web site whose web page is presently displayed in the browser's active tab is retained. Any other data unrelated to the web site is copied to a virtual memory for future reference and purged from the browser store. Additionally, any data pertaining to the web site that may have been previously transferred to the virtual memory is retrieved therefrom and relocated to the browser store. Moreover, any such data retrieved from the virtual memory that require updating, e.g., upon request or instruction by the site's web server, is updated or replaced as appropriate.