DYNAMIC SECURITY FOR DIGITAL TELEVISION RECEIVERS

A system that allows service providers, consumer electronic (CE) manufacturers or standards bodies to define flexible security policies (110) for the execution of downloaded applications (120) on digital television (DTV) receivers (160). The current receiver environment in which a software application is to be run is evaluated. For example, environmental factors such as time of day, date, channel currently tuned in, parental lockout status, grouping of major and minor virtual channels, and so forth, may be considered. An access controller (168) determines if the receiver's environmental factors satisfy the conditions for granting a permission to a downloadable application to allow access to the receiver functions (161), receiver resources and user private data. The security policy can be modified by installing or downloading a new security policy (110), or modified by a user with the provision of an appropriate interface. A Java code-implemented embodiment is disclosed.