Email Processor for Privacy and Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Email remains a significant threat vector for identity theft and cybercrimes, with practices like open tracking compromising user privacy and security.
Innovation Solution
An email processor system that connects with email hosts to configure mailbox rules, analyze incoming emails, and generate replacement messages that mitigate privacy and security risks by removing or modifying content associated with tracking activities, while ensuring user experience is not negatively impacted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If open tracking (spymail) practices are used in email, then email delivery and functionality are maintained, but user privacy is compromised and security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of incoming emails before they reach the user's inbox, detecting and removing tracking elements in advance. This preliminary action eliminates privacy compromises and security risks while maintaining normal email delivery functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary email processing system between the email server and the user's inbox. This intermediary component analyzes, modifies, and cleans emails, removing tracking elements while preserving the core email delivery function.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If email processing to remove tracking content is implemented, then privacy and security are improved, but email processing time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and removes only the harmful tracking elements (images, scripts, links) from emails while leaving the legitimate content intact. This selective extraction approach improves security without requiring complete system redesign or excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a cleaned copy of the email with tracking elements removed, while the original email structure and content are preserved. This copying approach allows the system to improve security by working with a modified version without affecting the original email delivery mechanism.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If tracking elements are removed from emails, then user privacy is protected, but the completeness of email content may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different processing quality to different parts of the email: tracking elements (images, scripts, suspicious links) are removed, while legitimate content (text, valid attachments, necessary formatting) is preserved. This local quality approach protects privacy without unnecessarily degrading email content completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with an example implementation of this disclosure, an email processor comprises mailbox management circuitry and replacement email message generation circuitry. The mailbox management circuitry is operable to configure an email message filtering rule for an email mailbox such that email messages that meet criteria specified in the email message filtering rule: bypass an inbox of the email mailbox, and are assigned a first metadata value specified in the email message filtering rule. The mailbox management circuitry is operable to fetch, from the email mailbox, an original email message to which the first metadata value has been assigned. The replacement email message generation circuitry is operable to generate a replacement message for the original email message.