Generalized Snapshots for Privacy-Preserving User Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Real user monitoring tools face privacy concerns when capturing screen shots that contain sensitive information from real users, as existing technologies do not effectively create generalized snapshots based on multiple partial snapshots to protect user privacy.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring tool receives and processes multiple partial snapshots from different clients to create a generalized snapshot by determining the color of each pixel based on the colors from the same location in multiple partial snapshots, preserving user privacy by not sending confidential information over the network, using components like partial snapshot generators, grouper, pixel sample selector, pixel resolver, and snapshot assembler.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If real user monitoring tools capture screen shots to analyze user interactions, then testing accuracy and user behavior understanding are improved, but user privacy and sensitivity of personal information are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the screen into multiple regions and captures only specific regions of interest as partial snapshots rather than capturing the entire screen. This segmentation approach allows selective monitoring of UI elements while excluding sensitive personal information areas, thereby maintaining testing accuracy without exposing user privacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes sensitive information from snapshots by identifying and excluding regions containing personal data. The system processes captured images to detect and redact sensitive content such as personal identifiers, financial information, and private communications, leaving only the essential UI interaction data for analysis.
2Loss of information
If monitoring tools capture complete screen snapshots to maintain screen representation integrity, then analysis completeness is improved, but data size and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of capturing complete screen snapshots, the system segments the screen into multiple regions and captures only the relevant partial regions. This reduces the volume of data that needs to be transmitted and processed while maintaining the integrity of the UI interaction information through strategic selection of monitoring regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by capturing only the necessary portions of the screen rather than the entire display. By selectively monitoring specific UI elements and regions based on testing requirements, the system achieves sufficient analysis completeness with reduced data overhead and processing complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If monitoring tools capture snapshots from multiple clients to create generalized snapshots, then user privacy protection is improved, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges partial snapshots from multiple clients to create generalized snapshots that represent common UI patterns across different users. By combining and comparing data from multiple sources, the system identifies and generalizes recurring interface elements while naturally obscuring individual user-specific sensitive information, thus enhancing privacy protection through aggregation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates generalized copies of UI interactions by synthesizing data from multiple client snapshots. Instead of using actual user data, it generates representative mockups that capture the essence of user interactions without exposing real personal information, thereby protecting privacy while maintaining analytical value.
Data Source
AI summary
Example embodiments relate to generalized snapshots based on multiple partial snapshots. An example method may include accessing multiple partial snapshots, each from a different client. The method may include creating a generalized snapshot from the multiple partial snapshots. The generalized snapshot includes multiple target pixels, and the color of each of the multiple target pixels may be determined by considering colors of multiple source pixels, each from a different partial snapshot.