Abstract: Laws, regulations, and self-regulatory processes are beginning to restrict how online advertisers and others interact with users. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) restricts the interaction of online businesses with children under thirteen. Revised regulations implementing this statute will restrict behavioral advertising by businesses directed to children and by other business if they have actual knowledge they are dealing with a child under thirteen. The current system of ad placement online relies on a real-time, distributed market where participants usually interact at arms-length through intermediaries (usually online advertising networks) in placing ads. There is currently no process by which COPPA regulations or possible future regulatory or self-regulatory frameworks can be imposed on this system requiring abandonment of the system or processes which can work consistent with the system when used on a mobile or personal device.

Abstract: Mobile devices are increasingly capable of collecting, storing, and transmitting data which may infringe on the security or privacy of others. The inventions disclosed provide methods by which such conflicts may be reduced by allowing geo-graphical areas to be opted-out of certain types of collection, at all or specific times. These methods may help broaden the acceptance of such devices as Google Glass®, other wearable devices, or other mobile collection-capable devices. The disclosure describes a “collection controller” which maintains positive control over a device's collection capabilities. This controller may be paired with an online opt-out registry or sensor which detects coded opt-out beacons. Certain data collected by the device might be metadata tagged and its further use determined by a “data disposition controller” which ensures restrictions on the collected data are maintained and adhered to.

Abstract: Falling costs of imaging technologies, processing, data storage, and networking have led to an explosion in the use of facial recognition technologies previously used almost exclusively by governments at border checkpoints and around other high value and sensitive locations. Increasingly, private companies are using these technologies, usually paired with other technologies and data for commercial purposes. This widespread and growing use of facial recognition has profound implications for personal privacy. While government use of facial recognition technology is generally unrestricted in public places and commercial use is largely unregulated, more stringent controls are likely to be imposed upon uses of facial recognition. The disclosure provides a multifaceted method of administering a system whereby individuals can request or demand (depending on the legal framework) to opt out of facial recognition collection, processing, correlation, storage, and dissemination.

Abstract: This disclosure allows greater privacy for mobile device users while maintaining functionality through a process of signature-hopping. Mobile devices have persistent identifiers or signatures which are used in providing device functionality (routing calls to the correct number, returning web queries to the originating device, and connection continuity in local area networks such as WiFi®. These persistent identifiers or signatures can also be collected by unintended recipients or used by intended recipients to correlate, track, or otherwise discover information about the user of the device in extremely intrusive ways. Regularly changing these signatures can mitigate privacy problems for mobile device users, and the disclosure here shows how functionality may be maintained through these changes.