Video Location Obfuscation via Selective Pixel Masking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies do not effectively obfuscate location data associated with a physical environment, particularly in scenarios where users want to protect their privacy during video calls or data transmission.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that utilize environmental sensors to obtain data, identify location-specific pixels, and modify them to obfuscate location information, such as by blurring, replacing, or masking pixels, based on predefined criteria or user permissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If video data is transmitted to provide better user experience, then user experience is improved, but location privacy is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes location-identifying features from video data before transmission. Specific portions of the video that reveal location information (such as recognizable landmarks, street signs, or unique environmental features) are identified and removed or obscured, allowing the video to be transmitted while protecting the user's location privacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing qualities to different portions of the video data. Location-sensitive areas are heavily obscured or removed, while non-sensitive areas maintain their original quality. This selective processing preserves user experience for non-privacy-critical content while protecting location information in sensitive regions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If location data is obfuscated by modifying environmental data, then location privacy is protected, but video quality is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of degrading the entire video, the patent extracts and removes only the specific location-identifying portions from the video data. This selective extraction protects location privacy while leaving the rest of the video quality intact, minimizing the impact on overall video quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies quality modification locally only to regions containing location information. These localized modifications obscure location data while preserving the quality of non-sensitive regions, thus protecting privacy without significantly degrading overall video quality.
3Measurement precision
If environmental sensors are used to obtain location data, then location information is captured, but privacy security is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses environmental sensors to accurately capture location data, then extracts and removes this location information from the video feed before transmission. This extraction process maintains the precision of location capture for processing purposes while eliminating the privacy security risk by preventing location data from being transmitted.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing step between data capture and transmission. Environmental sensors capture precise location data, which then passes through an intermediary processing stage where location-identifying features are removed or obscured, before the processed data is transmitted. This intermediary step preserves measurement precision while ensuring privacy security.
Data Source
AI summary
Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods for obfuscating location data associated with a physical environment. In some implementations, a method includes obtaining, via an environmental sensor, environmental data corresponding to a physical environment. A first portion of the environmental data that corresponds to a first location is identified. In response to the first location being of a first location type, location data indicative of the first location is obfuscated from the environmental data by modifying the first portion of the environmental data.