Mobile Privacy Information Proxy

1. A method of managing data being transmitted from a mobile device, the method comprising the steps of: the mobile device receiving a request from a user to initiate a transmission of data; the mobile device determining whether the data includes sensitive information based on a format of the data, and if so, the mobile device determining a country in which the mobile device is currently located, the mobile device determining a privacy policy of the country in which the mobile device is currently located, the sensitive information being information whose disclosure or unauthorized access adversely affects a security of the country in which the mobile device is currently located, and the mobile device determining whether the privacy policy applies to a type of the data corresponding to the format of the data; and if so, the mobile device notifying the user of the privacy policy of the country, identifying to the user the type of the data for which the privacy policy applies, and querying the user whether to transmit the data as requested by the user.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: the mobile device determining the mobile device has moved from the country to a second country, and in response, determining a new privacy policy of the second country; subsequent to the step of determining the mobile device has moved to the second country, the mobile device receiving a request from the user to initiate a second transmission of the data; and the mobile device determining the new privacy policy applies to the type of the data corresponding to the format of the data, and in response, notifying the user of the new privacy policy of the second country, identifying to the user the type of the data for which the new privacy policy applies, and querying the user whether to transmit the data in the second transmission as requested by the user.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: the mobile device periodically determining whether an update exists for the privacy policy of the country in which the mobile device is currently located; and in response to the step of periodically determining and prior to the step of determining the privacy policy, the mobile device determining the update exists and downloading the update for the privacy policy, wherein the step of determining the privacy policy includes updating the privacy policy by the downloaded update.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: the mobile device determining the format of the data; the mobile device retrieving a rule of the privacy policy, the rule associating the country and the type of the data with a regular expression data pattern; the mobile device determining the format of the data matches the regular expression data pattern; and based on the format of the data matching the regular expression data pattern, the mobile device determining the privacy policy applies to the type of the data.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the type of the data in the rule includes an attribute specifying a level of sensitivity of the data.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the rule further associates the country and the type of the data with a locale specifying a language used in the step of notifying the user of the privacy policy.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensitive information includes a national identification number, a telephone number, an email address, or a financial account number.

8. A computer program product for managing data being transmitted from a mobile device, the computer program product comprising: one or more computer-readable storage devices and program instructions stored on the one or more storage devices, the one or more computer-readable storage devices not being one or more transitory signals or signal propagation media, and the program instructions being executed by a hardware processor, the program instructions comprising: program instructions to receive a request from a user to initiate a transmission of data; program instructions to determine whether the data includes sensitive information based on a format of the data, and if so, determine a country in which the mobile device is currently located, determine a privacy policy of the country in which the mobile device is currently located, the sensitive information being information whose disclosure or unauthorized access adversely affects a security of the country in which the mobile device is currently located, and determine whether the privacy policy applies to a type of the data corresponding to the format of the data; and program instructions to, if the privacy policy applies to the type of the data corresponding to the format of the data, notify the user of the privacy policy of the country, identify to the user the type of the data for which the privacy policy applies, and query the user whether to transmit the data as requested by the user.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , further comprising: program instructions, stored on the one or more storage devices, to determine the mobile device has moved from the country to a second country, and in response, determine a new privacy policy of the second country; program instructions, stored on the one or more storage devices, to receive, subsequent to determining the mobile device has moved to the second country, a request from the user to initiate a second transmission of the data; and program instructions, stored on the one or more storage devices, to determine the new privacy policy applies to the type of the data corresponding to the format of the data, and in response, notify the user of the new privacy policy of the second country, identify to the user the type of the data for which the new privacy policy applies, and query the user whether to transmit the data in the second transmission as requested by the user.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 , further comprising: program instructions, stored on the one or more storage devices, to periodically determine whether an update exists for the privacy policy of the country in which the mobile device is currently located; and program instructions, stored on the one or more storage devices, to determine, in response to periodically determining whether the update exists for the privacy policy by the program instructions to periodically determine whether the update exists and prior to determining the privacy policy by the program instructions to determine the privacy policy, the update exists and download the update for the privacy policy, wherein the program instructions to determine the privacy policy update the privacy policy by the downloaded update.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 , further comprising: program instructions, stored on the one or more storage devices, to determine the format of the data; program instructions, stored on the one or more storage devices, to retrieve a rule of the privacy policy, the rule associating the country and the type of the data with a regular expression data pattern; program instructions, stored on the one or more storage devices, to determine the format of the data matches the regular expression data pattern; and program instructions, stored on the one or more storage devices, to determine, based on the format of the data matching the regular expression data pattern, the privacy policy applies to the type of the data.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the type of the data in the rule includes an attribute specifying a level of sensitivity of the data.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the rule further associates the country and the type of the data with a locale specifying a language used by the program instructions to notify the user of the privacy policy.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the sensitive information includes a national identification number, a telephone number, an email address, or a financial account number.

15. A method of managing data being transmitted from a mobile device, the method comprising the steps of: the mobile device receiving a request from a user to initiate a transmission of data; the mobile device determining a country in which the mobile device is currently located; the mobile device determining a privacy policy of the country in which the mobile device is currently located; the mobile device determining the format of the data; the mobile device determining whether the privacy policy applies to a type of the data corresponding to the format of the data; and if so, the mobile device notifying the user of the privacy policy of the country, identifying to the user the type of the data for which the privacy policy applies, and querying the user whether to transmit the data as requested by the user.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the steps of: the mobile device determining the mobile device has moved from the country to a second country, and in response, determining a new privacy policy of the second country; subsequent to the step of determining the mobile device has moved to the second country, the mobile device receiving a request from the user to initiate a second transmission of the data; and the mobile device determining the new privacy policy applies to the type of the data corresponding to the format of the data, and in response, notifying the user of the new privacy policy of the second country, identifying to the user the type of the data for which the new privacy policy applies, and querying the user whether to transmit the data in the second transmission as requested by the user.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the steps of: the mobile device periodically determining whether an update exists for the privacy policy of the country in which the mobile device is currently located; and in response to the step of periodically determining whether the update exists and prior to the step of determining the privacy policy, the mobile device determining the update exists and downloading the update for the privacy policy, wherein the step of determining the privacy policy includes updating the privacy policy by the downloaded update.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the steps of: the mobile device retrieving a rule of the privacy policy, the rule associating the country and the type of the data with a regular expression data pattern; the mobile device determining the format of the data matches the regular expression data pattern; and based on the format of the data matching the regular expression data pattern, the mobile device determining the privacy policy applies to the type of the data.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the type of the data in the rule includes an attribute specifying a level of sensitivity of the data.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the rule further associates the country and the type of the data with a locale specifying a language used in the step of notifying the user of the privacy policy.