Privacy from cloud operators
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsRonald John Kamiel Euphrasia Bjones, Kim Cameron, Anthony Joseph Nadalin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to identity technology. In aspects, even though a cloud operator may control one or all of the entities with which a user device interacts, the employees and computers controlled by the cloud operator may still have insufficient data to determine a natural identity of the user based on interactions of the user device with the cloud operator's computers. Privacy boundaries on the user device control transmission of natural identity information to other entities such that, without user consent, computers outside of the user device have insufficient data singly or combined to determine a natural identity of the user.
Claims20
A method implemented at least in part by a computer, the method comprising:
- at a communications interface of a device connected to the Internet, receiving a service request for a service of a relying party, the device controlled by a cloud operator for benefit of the relying party;
- and
- in response to the service request, sending, from the device, a message that includes redirection data, the redirection data indicating a source from which to obtain code for a user agent, the code, when executed, erecting a privacy boundary to control transmission of identity information, the privacy boundary preventing identity information sufficient to identify a natural identity of a user from passing from the user agent to the relying party without user consent.
In a computing environment, a system, comprising:
- one or more computers that are controlled by a cloud operator to provide identity services for benefit of at least a relying party, the one or more computers configured to perform actions, comprising:
- receiving, from a user device, a service request for a service of the relying party;
- in response to the service request, sending a message that includes redirection data, the redirection data indicating a user agent service from which to obtain code for a user agent, the code, when executed, erecting a privacy boundary to control transmission of identity information, the privacy boundary preventing identity information sufficient to identify a natural identity of a user from passing from the user agent to a computer controlled by the cloud operator without user consent.
A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform actions, comprising:
- at a communications interface of a device connected to the Internet, receiving a claims request for a claim provided by a claims provider, the device controlled by a cloud operator, the claims request coming from a user agent, the user agent previously obtained by downloading code from a user agent service indicated by a relying party device, the code, when executed, erecting a privacy boundary to control transmission of identity information to devices controlled by the cloud operator so that the identity information transmitted to any one or more of the devices controlled by the cloud operator is insufficient to identify a natural identity of a user using the user device;
- and
- in response to the claims request, providing a partially signed claim to the user device, the partially signed claim including evidence that the claims provider provided the claim.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.