Systems and methods for obscuring user location
View Patent ↗The disclosed computer-implemented method for obscuring user location may include (i) detecting a motion of a user mobile device through a motion sensor of the user mobile device, (ii) checking whether the motion of the user mobile device satisfies a specified threshold that defines a threshold level of motion, (iii) determining that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold that defines the threshold level of motion, and (iv) protecting a user of the user mobile device by obscuring, in response to determining that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold, an actual location of the user mobile device by outputting information indicating a decoy location of the user mobile device that deviates from the actual location of the user mobile device. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
1. A computer-implemented method for obscuring user location, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:
detecting a motion of a user mobile device through a motion sensor of the user mobile device;
checking whether the motion of the user mobile device satisfies a specified threshold that defines a threshold level of motion;
determining that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold that defines the threshold level of motion; and
protecting a user of the user mobile device by obscuring, in response to determining that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold, an actual location of the user mobile device by outputting information indicating a decoy location of the user mobile device that deviates from the actual location of the user mobile device at least in part by:
accessing a detected location of the user mobile device that was detected by a location sensor of the user mobile device; and
altering the detected location of the user mobile device such that an accuracy of the detected location of the user mobile device is reduced; wherein:
the user mobile device requests for authorization to output the information indicating the decoy location prior to determining that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold that defines the threshold level of motion.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein protecting the user of the user mobile device is performed in response to the user authorizing the user mobile device to output the information indicating the decoy location.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the user authorizes the user mobile device to output the information indicating the decoy location in response to the user mobile device requesting for authorization to output the information indicating the decoy location.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the motion of the user mobile device through the motion sensor of the user mobile device is performed after the user previously toggled the motion sensor within a settings menu of the user mobile device to enable the motion sensor to detect the motion of the user mobile device.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the motion sensor comprises at least one of:
an accelerometer;
a gyroscope;
a global positioning systems sensor;
a geolocation sensor;
a proximity sensor; or
a network triangulation component.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the specified threshold is defined in terms of at least one of speed or distance.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein outputting the information indicating the decoy location of the user mobile device that deviates from the actual location of the user mobile device comprises substituting the decoy location of the user mobile device for the detected location of the user mobile device that was detected by the location sensor of the user mobile device.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting that the user mobile device has returned to the actual location of the user mobile device when the user mobile device first moved according to the motion of the user mobile device that satisfies the specified threshold; and
stopping the outputting of the decoy location in response to determining that the user mobile device has returned to the actual location.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the motion of the user mobile device corresponds to the user of the user mobile device commuting; and
outputting the information indicating the decoy location of the user mobile device prevents an attacker from obtaining an item of information about the user commuting.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein outputting the information indicating the decoy location of the user mobile device that deviates from the actual location of the user mobile device comprises providing the decoy location to a mobile application that tracks movement by the user.
11. A system for obscuring user location, the system comprising:
a detection module, stored in memory, that detects a motion of a user mobile device through a motion sensor of the user mobile device;
a checking module, stored in memory, that checks whether the motion of the user mobile device satisfies a specified threshold that defines a threshold level of motion;
a determination module, stored in memory, that determines that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold that defines the threshold level of motion;
a protection module, stored in memory, that protects a user of the user mobile device by obscuring, in response to determining that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold, an actual location of the user mobile device by outputting information indicating a decoy location of the user mobile device that deviates from the actual location of the user mobile device at least in part by:
accessing a detected location of the user mobile device that was detected by a location sensor of the user mobile device; and
altering the detected location of the user mobile device such that an accuracy of the detected location of the user mobile device is reduced; and
at least one physical processor configured to execute the detection module, the checking module, the determination module, and the protection module; wherein:
the user mobile device requests for authorization to output the information indicating the decoy location prior to determining that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold that defines the threshold level of motion.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the protection module protects the user of the user mobile device in response to the user authorizing the user mobile device to output the information indicating the decoy location.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the user authorizes the user mobile device to output the information indicating the decoy location in response to the user mobile device requesting for authorization to output the information indicating the decoy location.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the detection module is configured to detect the motion of the user mobile device through the motion sensor of the user mobile device after the user previously toggled the motion sensor within a settings menu of the user mobile device to enable the motion sensor to detect the motion of the user mobile device.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the motion sensor comprises at least one of:
an accelerometer;
a gyroscope;
a global positioning systems sensor;
a geolocation sensor;
a proximity sensor; or
a network triangulation component.
16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the specified threshold is defined in terms of at least one of speed or distance.
17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the protection module outputs the information indicating the decoy location of the user mobile device that deviates from the actual location of the user mobile device by substituting the decoy location of the user mobile device for the detected location of the user mobile device that was detected by the location sensor of the user mobile device.
18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the protection module further:
detects that the user mobile device has returned to the actual location of the user mobile device when the user mobile device first moved according to the motion of the user mobile device that satisfies the specified threshold; and
stops the outputting of the decoy location in response to determining that the user mobile device has returned to the actual location.
19. The system of claim 11 , wherein:
the motion of the user mobile device corresponds to the user of the user mobile device commuting; and
the protection module outputting the information indicating the decoy location of the user mobile device prevents an attacker from obtaining an item of information about the user commuting.
20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:
detect a motion of a user mobile device through a motion sensor of the user mobile device;
check whether the motion of the user mobile device satisfies a specified threshold that defines a threshold level of motion;
determine that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold that defines the threshold level of motion; and
protect a user of the user mobile device by obscuring, in response to determining that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold, an actual location of the user mobile device by outputting information indicating a decoy location of the user mobile device that deviates from the actual location of the user mobile device at least in part by:
accessing a detected location of the user mobile device that was detected by a location sensor of the user mobile device; and
altering the detected location of the user mobile device such that an accuracy of the detected location of the user mobile device is reduced; wherein:
the user mobile device requests for authorization to output the information indicating the decoy location prior to determining that the motion of the user mobile device satisfies the specified threshold that defines the threshold level of motion.