Low privacy risk and high clarity social media support system

• US 10,430,609 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kamijoh, Kohichi, Ono, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr, Farid
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhu, Zhimei
• Application Number:
  US15/275,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20180089464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes

Abstract

A method and system are provided. The method includes separating initial user-inputted data into terms. The method further includes determining which terms are identity-related terms relating to an identity of a user, and which terms are clarity-related terms relating to subject-matter clarity. The method also includes calculating a population. The population is a number of individuals satisfying the identity-related terms. The method additionally includes assigning, for each clarity-related term, a clarity level, representing a respective amount of clarity for a respective one of the clarity-related terms. The method further includes creating amended user-inputted data by amending the initial user-inputted data such that the population is greater than or equal to a first threshold, and such that the clarity level, assigned for each clarity-related term, is greater than or equal to a second threshold. The method also includes transmitting, using a graphical user interface, the amended user-inputted data to respondents.

Claims

1. A method for decreasing privacy risk and increasing clarity in a social media system, comprising:

separating initial user-inputted data into a plurality of terms;

receiving, into a memory device, a tolerance range from the user, wherein the tolerance range designates one or more of the plurality of terms that are not to be altered;

determining which of the plurality of terms are identity-related terms relating to an identity of a user, and which of the plurality of terms are clarity-related terms relating to subject-matter clarity;

calculating, using a processor, a population value, wherein the population value is a number of individuals that satisfies the identity-related terms;

assigning a clarity level representing a respective amount of clarity to each of the clarity-related terms;

creating amended user-inputted data by amending the initial user-inputted data such that the population value of the amended user-inputter data is greater than or equal to a first predefined threshold, and the sum of the clarity levels assigned to each of the clarity-related terms in the amended user-inputter data is greater than or equal to a second predefined threshold; and

transmitting, using a graphical user interface, the amended user-inputted data to one or more respondents.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying categories from the initial user-inputted data, and

automatically defining the categories, wherein the clarity level for each of the clarity-related terms is recorded within a respective category from a set of categories.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the clarity level for each of the clarity-related terms is assigned to the respective category from the set of categories by a respective expert in a technological field relating to the respective category.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing, on one or more of the plurality of terms, an action selected from the group consisting of abstracting, embodying, deleting, and adding.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the population is calculated using statistical data to determine the number of individuals that satisfies the identity-related terms.

6. The method of claim 1, where the clarity level is calculated by summing respective clarity levels of each of a set of items relating to the clarity-related terms.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said creating step comprises:

initially altering the user-inputted data to create altered data, wherein the population value is greater than or equal to the first predefined threshold; and

dividing the altered data into two or more sentences of separated data, wherein at least one of the two or more sentences includes user-inputted data representing a user query, wherein the clarity level of the one of the two or more sentences is greater than or equal to the second predefine threshold.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a computer-readable program for decreasing privacy risk and increasing clarity in a social media system, wherein the computer-readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform a method comprising the steps of:

separating initial user-inputted data into a plurality of terms;

receiving, into a memory device, a tolerance range from the user, wherein the tolerance range designates one or more of the plurality of terms that are not to be altered;

determining which of the plurality of terms are identity-related terms relating to an identity of a user, and which of the plurality of terms are clarity-related terms relating to subject-matter clarity;

calculating, using a processor, a population value, wherein the population value is a number of individuals that satisfies the identity-related terms;

assigning a clarity level representing a respective amount of clarity to each of the clarity-related terms;

creating amended user-inputted data by amending the initial user-inputted data such that the population value of the amended user-inputter data is greater than or equal to a first predefined threshold, and the sum of the clarity levels assigned to each of the clarity-related terms in the amended user-inputter data is greater than or equal to a second predefined threshold; and

transmitting, using a graphical user interface, the amended user-inputted data to one or more respondents.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying categories from the initial user-inputted data, and

automatically defining the categories, wherein the clarity level for each of the clarity-related terms is recorded within a respective category from a set of categories.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the clarity level for each of the clarity-related terms is assigned to the respective category from the set of categories by a respective expert in a technological field relating to the respective category.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises performing, on one or more of the plurality of terms, an action selected from the group consisting of abstracting, embodying, deleting, and adding.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the population is calculated using statistical data to determine the number of individuals that satisfies the identity-related terms.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, where the clarity level is calculated by summing respective clarity levels of each of a set of items relating to the clarity-related terms.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein said creating step comprises:

initially altering the user-inputted data to create altered data, wherein the population value is greater than or equal to the first predefined threshold; and

dividing the altered data into two or more sentences of separated data, wherein at least one of the two or more sentences includes user-inputted data representing a user query, wherein the clarity level of the one of the two or more sentences is greater than or equal to the second predefine threshold.

15. A system for decreasing privacy risk and increasing clarity in a social media system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

separate initial user-inputted data into a plurality of terms;

determine which of the terms are identity-related terms relating to an identity of a user, and which of the terms are clarity-related terms relating to subject-matter clarity;

calculate a population value, wherein the population value is a number of individuals that satisfies the identity-related terms;

assign a clarity level representing a respective amount of clarity to each of the clarity-related terms; and

create amended user-inputted data by amending the initial user-inputted data so that the population value of the amended user-inputter data is greater than or equal to a first predefined threshold, and the sum of the clarity levels assigned to each of the clarity-related terms is greater than or equal to a second predefined threshold;

a memory configured to store the initial user-inputted data, the population value, the clarity values, the first predefined threshold, and the second predefined threshold, wherein the memory is further configured to store a tolerance range from the user, wherein the tolerance range designates one or more of the plurality of terms that are not to be altered; and

a graphical user interface configured to transmit the amended user-inputted data to one or more respondents.