Outsourcing document-transformation tasks while protecting sensitive information
An outsourcing environment is described herein by which an outsourcing entity may delegate document-transformation tasks to at least one worker entity, while preventing the worker entity from gaining knowledge of sensitive items that may be contained within a non-obfuscated original document (NOD). In one example, the environment may transform the NOD into an obfuscated original document (OOD) by removing sensitive items from the NOD. The worker entity may perform formatting and/or other document-transformation tasks on the OOD, without gaining knowledge of the sensitive items in the NOD, to produce an obfuscated transformed document (OTD). The environment may then allow for the outsourcing entity to view a content-restored version of the OTD.
1. A method, for creating a document in a collaborative manner, comprising:
providing a non-obfuscated original document (NOD) that is accessible to an outsourcing entity, the NOD having one or more sensitive items contained therein;
obfuscating said one or more sensitive items in the NOD, to produce an obfuscated original document (OOD) containing obfuscated items;
providing the OOD to a plurality of worker entities to make changes to the OOD, the changes producing a plurality of obfuscated transformed document (OTD) parts;
receiving the OTD parts from the worker entities, the OTD parts containing the changes made by the worker entities to the OOD; and
assembling the OTD parts into an obfuscated transformed document (OTD);
de-obfuscating the OTD by restoring the obfuscated items to their corresponding sensitive items, to produce a content-restored transformed document (CTD);
sending an instruction from the outsourcing entity to one of the plurality of worker entities via a communication mechanism; and
receiving an updated OTD from the worker entity receiving the instruction from the outsourcing entity, the updated OTD containing at least one additional change made by the worker entity to the OOD,
said providing the NOD, obfuscating, providing the OOD, receiving, assembling, sending, and de-obfuscating being performed by one or more computing devices.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NOD corresponds to a document that is configured for presentation as a web page, or as a portion of a web page.
3. The method of claim 1 , further including, after said obfuscating, verifying that all sensitive items that are intended to be obfuscated, have been obfuscated in the NOD.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the changes affects a manner of presentation of information contained in the NOD, without affecting a semantic content of the information contained in the NOD.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising preventing at least one of the worker entities from modifying at least a portion of the OOD.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one or more computing devices includes a first client computing device that is accessible to the outsourcing entity and a second client computing device that is accessible to at least one of the worker entities.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the said obfuscating and de-obfuscating are performed by the first client computing device.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first client computing device hosts a first document creation tool for operating on documents available to the outsourcing entity, and the second client computing device hosts a second document creation tool for operating on documents available to at least one of the worker entities.
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein said obfuscating and de-obfuscating are performed by at least one remote computing system, to which the first client computing device and the second client computing device are communicatively coupled.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said at least one remote computing system also hosts a collaborative document creation tool that the outsourcing entity and the worker entities use to work on respective documents available to the outsourcing entity and the worker entities.
11. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the first client computing device has access to an encryption key,
the second client computing device does not have access to the encryption key,
the first client computing device uses the encryption key to present the NOD and the CTD, and
the second client computing device presents, in absence of possessing the encryption key, the OOD and the OTD.
12. A computing device comprising:
a processor; and
executable instructions operable by the processor, the executable instructions comprising a method for creating a document in a collaborative manner, the method comprising:
providing a non-obfuscated original document (NOD) that is accessible to an outsourcing entity, the NOD having one or more sensitive items contained therein;
obfuscating said one or more sensitive items in the NOD, to produce an obfuscated original document (OOD) containing obfuscated items;
providing the OOD to plurality of worker entities to make changes to the OOD, the changes producing a plurality of obfuscated transformed document (OTD) parts;
receiving the OTD parts from the worker entities, the OTD parts containing the changes made by the worker entities to the OOD; and
assembling the OTD parts into an obfuscated transformed document (OTD);
de-obfuscating the OTD by restoring the obfuscated items to their corresponding sensitive items, to produce a content-restored transformed document (CTD);
sending an instruction from the outsourcing entity to one of the plurality of worker entities via a communication mechanism; and
receiving an updated OTD from the worker entity receiving the instruction from the outsourcing entity, the updated OTD containing at least one additional change made by the worker entity to the OOD.
13. The computing device of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the changes affects a manner of presentation of information contained in the NOD, without affecting a semantic content of the information contained in the NOD.
14. The computing device of claim 12 , wherein the computing device represents a client computing device that is accessible to the outsourcing entity.
15. The computing device of claim 12 , wherein the computing device represents a remote computing system that is accessible to both the outsourcing entity and the worker entities via respective client computing devices.
16. A computer readable storage medium for storing computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions when executed by one or more processing devices perform a method for creating a document in a collaborative manner, the method comprising:
providing a non-obfuscated original document (NOD) that is accessible to an outsourcing
obfuscating said one or more sensitive items in the NOD, to produce an obfuscated original document (OOD) containing obfuscated items;
providing the OOD to plurality of worker entities to make changes to the OOD, the changes producing a plurality of obfuscated transformed document (OTD) parts;
receiving the OTD parts from the worker entities, the OTD parts containing the changes made by the worker entities to the OOD; and
assembling the OTD parts into an obfuscated transformed document (OTD);
de-obfuscating the OTD by restoring the obfuscated items to their corresponding sensitive items, to produce a content-restored transformed document (CTD)
sending an instruction from the outsourcing entity to one of the plurality of worker entities via a communication mechanism; and
receiving an updated OTD from the worker entity receiving the instruction from the outsourcing entity, the updated OTD containing at least one additional change made by the worker entity to the OOD.
17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the changes includes a formatting-type change, in which at least one of the worker entities alters a format of the OOD.
18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the NOD corresponds to a document that is configured for presentation as a web page, or as a portion of a web page.
19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the method further comprises preventing at least one of the worker entities from modifying at least a portion of the OOD.
20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the changes affects a manner of presentation of information contained in the NOD.