Dynamic muting audio transducer control for wearable personal communication nodes

A method of operating a first communication node controlled by a management system, the first communication node comprising a wireless intermediate communication device and a wearable end user device wirelessly linked to the intermediate communication device, wherein the wearable end user device comprises a speaker, and wherein a secure communication group comprises the first communication node, the method comprising:

• the first communication node obtaining attribute information, wherein the attribute information comprises the following:
• proximity information concerning proximity of the first communication node to a second communication node, wherein the secure communication group does not include the second communication node;
• and
• first communication node secure group status information;
• the first communication node transmitting the attribute information to the management system;
• the first communication node receiving a speaker muting command from the management system, wherein the speaker muting command is based on the attribute information;
• and
• responsive to the received speaker muting command, the first communication node adjusting an audio transducer speaker setting of the first communication node.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions to manage a first communication node in a secure communication node group comprising a plurality of communication nodes, wherein the plurality of communication nodes comprises the first communication node, the program instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to:

• obtain management attribute information comprising:
• first communication node attribute information comprising secure group status information about the first communication node, wherein the first communication node comprises one or more audio transducers comprising a speaker;
• second communication node attribute information comprising secure group status information about a second communication node, wherein the second communication node is not one of the plurality of communication nodes;
• and
• attribute information about proximity of the first and second communication nodes;
• determine one or more muting/unmuting settings for the first communication node, wherein the one or more muting/unmuting settings is based on the received management attribute information;
• and
• impose at least one muting/unmuting setting command on the first communication node, wherein the at least one muting/unmuting setting command is based on the received management attribute information and controls a muting status of the speaker of the first communication node.