EP-4738905-A1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM TO PROVE A USER'S GEOLOCATION

EP4738905A1EP 4738905 A1EP4738905 A1EP 4738905A1EP-4738905-A1

Abstract

A method and system to prove a user's geolocation are provided. The method comprises obtaining a geoposition of a user by a geoposition device; carrying out a proximity validation between the geopositioning device and a mobile device using a Bluetooth connection; upon successful proximity validation, a computer server receiving the geoposition of the user and the geoposition of the mobile device using a cryptographic protocol; receiving, by the mobile computing device, from the computer server, a notification regarding successful geoposition validation with the geoposition device; recording, in real time, a voiced video of the user by a camera and microphone of the mobile computing device, the voiced video being recorded while the user is uttering a given phrase or word; detecting a user's unframing movement by the mobile computing device; and creating, by the mobile computing device, a geo-evidence for the user using the geoposition of the mobile computing device and the recorded voiced video.

Inventors

ANGUIANO JIMÉNEZ, Jose María
DE LA FUENTE RODRÍGUEZ, Adolfo
ROMERO BARRERA, Lisardo
SÁNCHEZ FUENTES, Pedro Joaquín
BESADA JUEZ, Alejandro

Assignees

Callstamp Communications, SL

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20241105

Claims (15)

A method to prove a user's geolocation, the method comprising: obtaining a geoposition of a user by a geoposition device (10); carrying out a proximity validation between the geopositioning device (10) and a mobile computing device (20) by means of a Bluetooth connection (15); upon successful proximity validation between the geoposition device (10) and the mobile computing device (20), a computer server (30) receiving the geoposition of the user from the geoposition device (10) using a cryptographic protocol (25), and receiving a geoposition of the mobile computing device (20), from the mobile computing device (20), using a cryptographic protocol (25); receiving, by the mobile computing device (20), from the computer server (30), a notification regarding successful geoposition validation with the geoposition device (10); recording, in real time, a voiced video of the user by at least one camera and microphone of the mobile computing device (20), the voiced video being recorded while the user is uttering a given phrase or word; detecting a user's unframing movement by the mobile computing device (20); and creating, by the mobile computing device (20), a geo-evidence for the user using the geoposition of the mobile computing device (20) and the recorded voiced video.
The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining at least one video frame of the recorded voiced video, and creating a map using the at least one video frame and the geoposition of the mobile computing device (20); hashing the created map with a first hash, and forwarding the hashed map to a first blockchain network (40); and hashing the recorded voiced video with a second hash, and forwarding the hashed voiced video to a second blockchain network (41).
The method of any one of the previous claims, wherein the given phrase or word is periodically changed.
The method of any one of the previous claims, further comprising storing the recorded voiced video in a memory or database.
The method of any one of the previous claims, wherein the geoposition of the user is obtained by satellite triangulation.
The method of any one of the previous claims, wherein the cryptographic protocol (25) comprises a SSL protocol.
The method of any one of the previous claims, wherein the geoposition device (10) comprises a private key based on asymmetric key cryptography under PKI protocol, and the computer server (30) comprises a corresponding public key.
The method of any one of the previous claims, wherein access to information and/or configuration of the geoposition device (10) is password protected.
The method of claim 8, wherein the password is only known by an owner of the computer server (30), and wherein if an incorrect password is entered more than three times, the positioned device (10) is locked without being able to access the information and/or configuration.
The method of any one of the previous claims, wherein the user's unframing movement comprises at least one of the following: a movement of the mobile computing device (20) towards and away from the user, up and down relative to the user, left and right, or a combination thereof.
The method of any one of the previous claims, further comprising: setting a timeout parameter for detecting the user's unframing movement; and automatically cancelling the creation of the geo-evidence if the timeout parameter elapses without having detected the user's unframing movement.
A system to prove a user's geolocation, comprising: a geoposition device (10) configured to obtain a geoposition of a user; a mobile computing device (20); and a computer server (30); the computer server (30), upon successful proximity validation between the geoposition device (10) and the mobile computing device (20) by means of a Bluetooth connection (15), being configured to: receive, from the geoposition device (10), the obtained geoposition of the user using a cryptographic protocol (25), and receive, from the mobile computing device (20), a geoposition of the mobile computing device (20) using a cryptographic protocol (25); and the mobile computing device (20) being configured to: receive, from the computer server (30), a notification regarding successful geoposition validation with the geoposition device (10); record, in real time, a voiced video of the user using at least one camera and microphone of the mobile computing device (20), the voiced video being recorded while the user is uttering a given phrase or word; detect a user's unframing movement; and create a geo-evidence for the user using its geoposition and the recorded voiced video.
The system of claim 12, further comprising two blockchain networks, wherein one of the blockchain networks is configured to receive a hashed map and the other is configured to receive a hashed voiced video, the hashed map being obtained by hashing a map created using at least one video frame of the recorded voiced video and the geoposition of the mobile computing device (20) with a first hash, and the hashed voiced video being obtained by hashing the recorded voiced video with a second hash.
The system of claim 12, wherein the user's unframing movement is detected using at least one of a gyroscope or accelerometer of the mobile computing device (20).
The system of claim 12, wherein access to the geoposition device (10) is password protected.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention generally relates to geolocation methods and systems. Particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for proving a person's geolocation at any given time. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Proving a person's location at a specific date can often be challenging. Nowadays, it is common to rely on circumstantial evidence to presume that someone was at a particular place during certain dates. This includes providing as proof of residence documents such as airline tickets, boarding passes, lease agreements, hotel receipts, or records of credit card transactions. While these forms of evidence help allegedly confirm a person's presence or residence they are not always compelling. Accurately proving a person's location can serve different purposes, such as verifying habitual residence for tax purposes or complying with other legal, security, or regulatory requirements. Thus, new methods and systems for proving a user's geolocation are therefore needed. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is the provision of a reliable and tamper-evident geolocation proof, linked to a specific user/person. This object is fulfilled by a method with the characteristics of claim 1 and by a system with the features of claim 12. The present invention proposes, according to one aspect, a method to prove/confirm a user's geolocation. The method comprises obtaining a geoposition of a user by a geoposition device; carrying out a proximity validation between the geopositioning device and a mobile computing device using a Bluetooth connection; upon successful proximity validation between the geoposition device and the mobile computing device, the geoposition device further transmitting the obtained geoposition of the user to a computer server using a cryptographic protocol, and the mobile computing device also transmitting its own geoposition to the computer server using a cryptographic protocol; notifying, by the computer server, to the mobile computing device, the successful geoposition validation with the geoposition device; recording a voiced video of the user (e.g. a video selfie) by at least one camera and microphone of the mobile computing device, the voiced video being recorded while the user is uttering a given phrase or word; detecting a user's unframing movement by the mobile computing device; and creating, by the mobile computing device, a geo-evidence for the user using its own geoposition and the recorded voiced video. In some embodiments, the method further obtains at least one video frame of the recorded voiced video, and creates a map using the obtained video frame and the geoposition of the mobile computing device. In some embodiments, the method further hashes the created map with a first hash, and forwards the hashed map to a first blockchain network, and hashes the recorded voiced video with a second hash, and forwards the hashed voiced video to a second blockchain network. The incorporation of both hashes in the blockchains can be done by executing a "Smart contract". For example, the SHA-256 algorithm can be used for the hashing processes. In some embodiments, the given phrase or word is periodically changed. For instance, the word or phrase can be changed daily. Alternatively, it can be changed every two or more days. Even, it can be changed each time a user's geolocation has to be proven. In some embodiments, the recorded voiced video is stored in a memory or database. Thus, a historic of videos with voices of the user can be obtained, which can later be used to match with those of the user who intends to prove his/her geolocation. In some embodiments, the geoposition of the user is obtained by satellite triangulation. In some embodiments, the cryptographic protocol comprises a SSL protocol. In some embodiments, the geoposition device comprises a private key based on asymmetric key cryptography under PKI protocol, and the computer server comprises a corresponding public key. In some embodiments, access to the information and configuration of the geopositioning device is secured with a password. This password may consist of various characters, including letters, numbers, and symbols. Naturally, a longer password enhances security. Particularly, the password is known solely to the owner of the computer server. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the device will be locked if an incorrect password is entered more than three times, thereby preventing unauthorized access and increasing resilience against fake geopositions. The user's unframing movement serves to verify that the recording is not being conducted from a screen. This movement may involve shifting the mobile computing device towards and away from the user, up and down relative to the user, left and right, or any combination of these directions. In some embodiments, a timeout parameter is set such that if the specified timeout period elapses without detecting the user's unframing moveme