Location Sharing Controls for Selective Identity Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing social media platforms lack the ability to selectively control and manage the sharing of location information of mobile computing devices, leading to potential privacy concerns and unwanted exposure of user locations.
Innovation Solution
A location locking system that allows users to selectively block or modify the transmission and display of their location information based on time, location, proximity, or interaction with specific applications, using a graphical user interface to enable features like 'ghost mode' to prevent location sharing with certain individuals or groups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If location information is continuously shared on social media platforms, then user connectivity and social interaction are improved, but user privacy and security deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic location sharing by allowing users to toggle between sharing and non-sharing states, and to set time-based parameters for automatic sharing cessation. This enables the system to adapt location sharing behavior dynamically rather than maintaining a static state, resolving the contradiction between continuous sharing for social interaction and privacy protection by allowing users to switch states based on their needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows users to modify parameters such as time duration, geographic boundaries, and application-specific settings to control location sharing. By changing these parameters, users can fine-tune the level of privacy protection while maintaining social connectivity when appropriate, thus resolving the contradiction between social interaction and privacy exposure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If location sharing is blocked completely, then user privacy is improved, but social connectivity and application functionality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments location sharing control into multiple dimensions: time-based segmentation (different sharing behaviors at different times), application-based segmentation (different sharing settings for different apps), and contact-based segmentation (different sharing settings for different users or groups). This segmentation allows users to maintain privacy while preserving social connectivity in appropriate contexts, resolving the contradiction between privacy protection and social connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements local quality control by allowing different privacy settings for different locations, applications, and contacts. Users can specify that location sharing is enabled for certain contacts or applications but disabled for others, or enabled during certain time periods but disabled during others. This granular control resolves the contradiction by allowing privacy protection where needed while maintaining social connectivity where appropriate.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If location sharing control features are added, then user privacy management is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal location sharing control system that handles multiple functions through a unified interface: time-based control, geographic control, application-specific control, and contact-specific control. This multi-functional approach consolidates what could be multiple separate systems into one unified mechanism, reducing overall system complexity while providing comprehensive privacy management capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes automatic features such as time-based automatic cessation of sharing, geographic boundary-based automatic blocking, and integration with existing social media contact lists. These self-service features reduce the need for manual intervention and complex user configuration, simplifying the user experience while maintaining robust privacy control capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, devices, media, and methods are presented for selective location-based identity communication. The systems and methods identify a current location of a mobile computing device and detect a selection of a user interface element associated with the current location. The systems and methods cause presentation of a set of display elements corresponding to the current location and detect selection of a display element of the set of display elements. The systems and methods modify a display characteristic for the current location of the mobile computing device within a set of mobile computing devices based on the selection of the display element.