Cookie Generation Flow Analysis for Privacy Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for protecting user privacy on the Internet, such as blacklists, are inadequate in identifying and mitigating cookie-related tracking issues, as they do not consider the diverse factors involved in cookie generation and can be easily bypassed, and websites may unintentionally create cookies without awareness of their creation or purpose.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method using a headless web browser to monitor and analyze cookie generation flows, tracing the creation of cookies, and initiating security actions such as blocking or disabling third-party cookies, to enhance user privacy and compliance with regulations like GDPR.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If blacklist methods are used to protect user privacy, then implementation is simple, but they cannot identify or mitigate cookie-related tracking issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the static blacklist mechanism with a dynamic code instrumentation system that uses debugging protocols and stack trace analysis to actively monitor and identify cookie generation flows, transforming privacy protection from a passive filtering approach to an active detection and mitigation system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a debugger and instrumentation layer as an intermediary between the web browser and cookie creation processes, enabling deep inspection of cookie generation flows without directly modifying the underlying tracking mechanisms, thus achieving reliable detection while maintaining system architecture integrity
2Reliability
If deep analysis of cookie generation flows is performed, then privacy protection is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a multi-functional system where the debugger serves multiple purposes: monitoring network requests, tracking script execution, instrumenting cookie functions, and analyzing stack traces, all through a single integrated approach using debugging protocols, thereby reducing overall system complexity despite the sophisticated analysis capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested monitoring layers where the debugger attaches to the headless browser, instruments web page scripts, and further instruments cookie creation functions within those scripts, creating a nested observation structure that enables deep analysis without requiring separate independent systems for each analysis layer
3Object-affected harmful factors
If third-party cookies are blocked to protect privacy, then user tracking is reduced, but website functionality may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary analysis of cookie generation flows to identify and classify cookies by their purpose and origin before blocking them, enabling the system to differentiate between harmful tracking cookies and necessary functional cookies, thus blocking only the harmful subset while preserving legitimate website functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different treatment to different cookies based on their specific characteristics identified through flow analysis, such as blocking third-party tracking cookies while allowing first-party functional cookies, thereby applying privacy protection locally to specific harmful cookies rather than universally to all cookies
Data Source
AI summary
Analyzing and mitigating privacy issues on a computing device using cookie generation flows. The method includes initiating a headless web browser, monitoring a request made of a website accessed by the headless web browser, monitoring scripts created on the website, instrumenting a function used to create a cookie on the computing device, tracing an initial generation of a call used to create the cookie on the computing device, obtaining a cookie generation flow related to the creation of the cookie, and initiating a security action based on obtaining the cookie generation flow.