US 2015/0040235 A1Published application

Coerced encryption on connected devices

AssigneeDropbox, Inc.

InventorSean Byrne

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Abstract

Techniques for coercing users to encrypt synchronized content stored at their personal computing devices. In some aspects, one or more computing devices receive, from a personal computing device, an indication of whether data stored in at least a portion of a storage device of the personal computing device is protected by disk encryption. In response to determining, based on the indication, that the portion of the storage device is not protected by encryption, synchronization data for synchronizing a copy of one or more synchronized content items stored in the portion of the storage device with another copy of the synchronized content items stored at one or more server computing devices is withheld from the personal computing device until disk encryption on the personal computing device is enabled so as to coerce the user to enable disk encryption on the personal computing device.

Claims20

Dependent claims

One or more computing devices, comprising:

one or more processors;
memory;
and
one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
receiving, from a personal computing device having a storage device, an indication of whether at least a portion of the storage device is protected by disk encryption;
wherein the portion of the storage device stores one or more synchronized content items;
determining, based on the indication, whether synchronization data for synchronizing the one or more synchronized content items stored in the portion of the storage device with one or more synchronized content items stored on one or more server computing devices should be withheld from the personal computing device;
if the synchronization data should be withheld, then withholding the synchronization data from the personal computing device;
and
if the synchronization data should not be withheld, then sending the synchronization data to the personal computing device after any other conditions on sending the synchronization data to the personal computing device have been met.

7 more elements

A method performed by one or more computing devices having at least a processor and memory, the method comprising:

receiving, from a personal computing device having a storage device, an indication of whether at least a portion of the storage device is protected by disk encryption;
wherein the portion of the storage device stores one or more synchronized content items;
determining, based on the indication, whether synchronization data for synchronizing the one or more synchronized content items stored in the portion of the storage device with one or more synchronized content items stored on one or more server computing devices should be withheld from the personal computing device;
if the synchronization data should be withheld, then withholding the synchronization data from the personal computing device;
and
if the synchronization data should not be withheld, then sending the synchronization data to the personal computing device after any other conditions on sending the synchronization data to the personal computing device have been met.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/957,003Filed 1 Aug 2013
Published: 5 Feb 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

H04L 63/0281
For separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls: proxies
G06F 12/1408
Protection against unauthorised use of memory or access to memory: by using cryptography
G06F 21/60
Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity: protecting data
G06F 21/78
Protecting specific internal or peripheral components, in which the protection of a component leads to protection of the entire computer: to…