Computing system with information privacy mechanism and method of operation thereof

• US 10,325,114 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2015
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shen, Yilin, Jin, Hongxia
• Primary Examiner(s): Dolly, Kendall
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fields, Courtney D
• Application Number:
  US14/921,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20160117512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies

Abstract

A computing system includes: a control unit configured to: obtain an information release setting for a raw user information, the raw user information including an information attribute; determine an information format for the information attribute of the raw user information; determine a privacy notion based on the information release setting; generate perturbed user information from the information attribute based on the privacy notion, wherein the information format for the raw user information is preserved in the perturbed user information; and a communication unit, coupled to the control unit, configured to transmit the perturbed user information.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a memory comprising a plurality of instructions;

a control unit, the control unit comprising at least one processor, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

obtain an information release setting for a raw user information, wherein the raw user information includes an information attribute;

obtain an information utility setting for containing a degree of modification to the raw user information;

determine an information format for the raw user information;

determine a privacy notion based on the information release setting;

generate a perturbed user information by anonymizing the information attribute based on the privacy notion, wherein the perturbed user information modifies both content and quantity of data associated with the information attribute while maintaining the information format;

determine whether the perturbed user information is convergent, wherein the perturbed user information is convergent when the perturbed user information is a predetermined distance from the raw user information, according to the information release setting and the information utility setting;

in response to determining the perturbed user information is non-convergent, provide a notification that indicates that the perturbed user information is within the predetermined distance from the raw user information based on at least one of the information release setting or the information utility setting;

identify trends within content of the raw user information and the information attribute; and

generate noise that preserves the identified trends in the raw user information and the information attribute; and

a communication unit, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the communication unit to transmit the perturbed user information after determining that perturbed user information is convergent.

2. The computing system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a user interface, coupled to the control unit, configured to receive the information release setting including an attribute based privacy setting for the information attribute of the raw user information.

3. The computing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to generate the perturbed user information that resembles public information based on a public category factor.

4. The computing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to generate the perturbed user information based on an information utility notion for recommendation accuracy of the raw user information.

5. The computing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to generate the perturbed user information that includes admissible noise with a sensitivity factor.

6. The computing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to generate the perturbed user information that includes admissible noise based on an augmented Lagrange function.

7. The computing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to:

identify the trends and

generate the noise while anonymizing the raw user information and the information attribute by adding and removing instances of the raw user information and the information attribute and altering the content associated with the raw user information and the information attribute.

8. The computing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to generate the perturbed user information based on a differential privacy function.

9. The computing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to determine the privacy notion based on information gain, or mutual information.

20. The computing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein to determine the information format the plurality of instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to identify a classification of the raw user information, and one or more categories associated with the information attribute.

10. A method of operation of a computing system comprising:

obtaining an information release setting for a raw user information, wherein the raw user information includes an information attribute;

obtaining an information utility setting for containing a degree of modification to the raw user information;

determining an information format for the raw user information;

determining a privacy notion based on the information release setting;

generating a perturbed user information by anonymizing the information attribute based on the privacy notion, wherein the perturbed user information modifies both content and quantity of data associated with the information attribute while maintaining the information format;

determining whether the perturbed user information is convergent, wherein the perturbed user information is convergent when the perturbed user information is a predetermined distance from the raw user information, according to the information release setting and the information utility setting;

in response to determining the perturbed user information is non-convergent, providing a notification that indicates that the perturbed user information is within the predetermined distance from the raw user information based on at least one of the information release setting or the information utility setting;

identifying trends within content of the raw user information and the information attribute;

generating noise that preserves the identified trends in the raw user information and the information attribute; and

transmitting the perturbed user information after determining that perturbed user information is convergent.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein obtaining the information release setting comprises receiving an attribute based privacy setting for the information attribute of the raw user information.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein generating the perturbed user information includes generating the perturbed user information that resembles public information based on a public category factor.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein generating the perturbed user information comprises generating the perturbed user information based on an information utility notion for recommendation accuracy of the raw user information.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein generating the perturbed user information comprises generating the perturbed user information that includes admissible noise with a sensitivity factor.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising computer readable program code that, when executed by a processor of a computing system causes the computing system to:

obtain an information release setting for a raw user information, wherein the raw user information includes an information attribute;

obtain an information utility setting for containing a degree of modification to the raw user information;

determine an information format for the raw user information;

determine a privacy notion based on the information release setting;

generate a perturbed user information by anonymizing the information attribute based on the privacy notion, wherein the perturbed user information modifies both content and quantity of data associated with the information attribute while maintaining the information format;

determine whether the perturbed user information is convergent, wherein the perturbed user information is convergent when the perturbed user information is a predetermined distance from the raw user information, according to the information release setting and the information utility setting;

in response to determining the perturbed user information is non-convergent, provide a notification that indicates that the perturbed user information is within the predetermined distance from the raw user information based on at least one of the information release setting or the information utility setting;

identify trends within content of the raw user information and the information attribute;

generate noise that preserves the identified trends in the raw user information and the information attribute; and

transmit the perturbed user information after determining that perturbed user information is convergent.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 15 wherein to obtain the information release setting the computer readable program code when executed by the processor, further causes the computing system to receive an attribute based privacy setting for the information attribute of the raw user information.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 15 wherein the computer readable program code when executed by the processor, further causes the computing system to generate the perturbed user information that resembles public information based on a public category factor.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 15 wherein to generate the perturbed user information the computer readable program code when executed by the processor, further causes the computing system to generate the perturbed user information based on an information utility notion for recommendation accuracy of the raw user information.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 15 wherein to generate the perturbed user information the computer readable program code when executed by the processor, further causes the computing system to generate the perturbed user information that includes admissible noise with a sensitivity factor.