Sender Managed Message Privacy via Proximity Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing human-to-human messaging systems lack sender-controlled privacy measures, making it difficult for senders to ensure message security without requiring recipients to manage encryption and decryption processes, especially in situations where others may inadvertently compromise message privacy.

Innovation Solution

A data processing system with sender-managed privacy logic that uses proximity detection to secure messages by delaying delivery, redirecting to alternative clients, or encrypting messages when unauthorized individuals are detected near the recipient, allowing senders to control message privacy without involving recipients in encryption processes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the recipient manages encryption and decryption for every message, then message security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage securityVSAvoidease of operation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables the sender to automatically manage message privacy by designating privacy settings and controlling message delivery based on recipient proximity, eliminating the need for the recipient to manually manage encryption and decryption processes while maintaining message security

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of requiring the recipient to manage security, the invention inverts the control by allowing the sender to manage message privacy settings and control delivery conditions, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining security

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of operation

If the sender controls message privacy, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of operationVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces a messaging server as an intermediary that handles the complex logic of determining recipient proximity, evaluating privacy settings, and controlling message delivery, thereby keeping the client devices simple while enabling sophisticated sender-controlled privacy features

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If encryption is used for all messages, then message security is improved, but loss of time worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage securityVSAvoidloss of time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies encryption selectively rather than universally - messages are encrypted only when the recipient is determined to be in proximity to other users based on privacy settings, avoiding the time overhead of encrypting all messages while maintaining security where needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS8706817B2Sender managed message privacy

Publication Date: 2014.04.22 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to securing the privacy of messages and provide a method, system and computer program product for sender managed message privacy. In an embodiment of the invention, a data processing system for sender managed privacy can include a sender messaging client coupled to privacy management logic and configured for communicative linkage to a recipient messaging client coupled to proximity detection logic over a data communications network. The privacy management logic can include program code enabled to secure a message designated for delivery in the recipient messaging client responsive to the proximity detection logic.