Systems, devices, and methods for protecting access privacy of cached content

Abstract

Embodiments relate to systems, devices, and computer-implemented methods for preventing determination of previous access of sensitive content by receiving, from a user, a request for content at a device in an information centric network, where a cached version of the content is locally stored at the device; initiating a time delay based on a determination that the user has not previously requested the content; and transmitting the cached version of the content to the user after the time delay.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 receiving, at a first device, a request for content from a user device, wherein a cached version of the content is locally stored at the device;   determining that the user device has not previously requested the content from the first device;   initiating a time delay in response to determining that the user device has not previously requested the content from the first device; and   transmitting the cached version of the content to the user device once the time delay terminates.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a second device determines that the user device has not previously requested the content from the first device; and   the request for the content is first received via the second device and includes an indication that the user device has not previously requested the content.   
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the user device comprises an access point,   communications from the user device are assigned to a first port; and   determining that the user device has not previously requested the content comprises determining that the content has not been previously requested via the port.   
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining that the content is associated with a privacy mode. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the first device comprises an edge router relative the user device. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, at the first device, an initial request for the content from a second user device before the content is locally cached at the first device;   transmitting the initial request for the content to a second device;   receiving the content from the second device;   storing the content in a cache memory; and   transmitting the content to the second user device.   
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , wherein the time delay is based on an expected number of nodes between the first device and an original source of the content. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 calculating a request time delay based on a first timestamp associated with a time that the request was transmitted by the first user device and a second timestamp associated with a time that the request was received at the first device;   calculating a retrieval time delay based on a measured time between when the initial request was transmitted to the second device and when the content was received from the second device; and   determining the expected number of nodes between the first device and the original source of the content based on the request time delay and the retrieval time delay.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising generating the time delay randomly within a predetermined range. 
     
     
         10 . A computing device, comprising:
 a memory that includes instructions; and   a processor coupled to the memory and, when executing the instructions, is configured to:
 receive a request for content from a user device, wherein a cached version of the content is stored locally, 
 determine that the user device has not previously requested the content from the computing device, 
 initiate a time delay in response to determining that the user device has not previously requested the content from the computing; and 
 transmit the cached version of the content to the user device once the time delay has terminated.