Preserving privacy related to networked media consumption activities

• US 10,440,061 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantcast
• Original Assignee: Quantcast
• Inventors: Reeves, Damian John
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hee K
• Application Number:
  US16/015,510
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

Preserving privacy related to networked media consumption activity. Source privacy zones are defined and associated with privacy standards Privacy standards include frequency criteria governing the storage of datasets including information associated with networked media consumption activity collected from the source privacy zone. Transaction requests including a networking protocol address are received over a network from a client device at a target location by a networked privacy system. The source privacy zone associated with the client device is identified. Using the networking protocol address to access characteristics having characteristic value(s), a dataset can be created including associating the networked media consumption activity with the characteristic and characteristic value(s). The dataset is pre-processed to comply with the privacy standards. The networking protocol address is discarded. The pre-processed dataset can be stored in a filtered database on a physical storage device at a storage location coupled to the networked privacy system.

Claims

1. A method for preserving privacy related to networked consumption activity, the method comprising:

defining multiple privacy zones;

associating a privacy standard with each respective privacy zone, each privacy standard comprising a frequency criterion;

receiving, by a networked privacy system, a request in association with networked media consumption activity, from a client device;

responsive to receiving the request, selecting a privacy zone from the multiple privacy zones for the client device;

adding information associated with the client device'"'"'s networked media consumption activity to a dataset;

temporarily storing the dataset in a staging database for a time window;

preparing a compliant dataset for storage in a filtered database before the time window has elapsed by;

determining if the dataset in the staging database is compliant by determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion of the privacy standard of the selected privacy zone within the time window;

responsive to determining that the dataset in the staging database is not compliant, generating the compliant dataset by processing the dataset in the staging database to comply with the privacy standard of the selected privacy zone;

writing the compliant dataset to the filtered database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the compliant dataset comprises:

replacing a networking protocol address in the dataset in the staging database with a range of networking protocol addresses.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the compliant dataset comprises:

replacing a networking protocol address in the dataset in the staging database with a partial networking protocol address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the compliant dataset comprises:

deleting a networking protocol address from the dataset.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the networking protocol address comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion comprises:

determining a frequency of events associated with a client device'"'"'s domain.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion comprises:

estimating a frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion comprises:

determining a frequency of a feature found in information associated with networked media consumption activities during the time window.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy standard comprises restrictions associated with a location of a networked privacy system.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium executing computer program instructions, the computer program instructions comprising instructions for:

defining multiple privacy zones;

associating a privacy standard with each respective privacy zone, each privacy standard comprising a frequency criterion;

receiving, by a networked privacy system, a request in association with networked media consumption activity, from a client device;

responsive to receiving the request, selecting a privacy zone from the multiple privacy zones for the client device;

adding information associated with the client device'"'"'s networked media consumption activity to a dataset;

temporarily storing the dataset in a staging database for a time window;

preparing a compliant dataset for storage in a filtered database before the time window has elapsed by;

determining if the dataset in the staging database is compliant by determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion of the privacy standard of the selected privacy zone within the time window;

responsive to determining that the dataset in the staging database is not compliant, generating the compliant dataset by processing the dataset in the staging database to comply with the privacy standard of the selected privacy zone;

writing the compliant dataset to the filtered database.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein generating the compliant dataset comprises:

replacing a networking protocol address in the dataset in the staging database with a range of networking protocol addresses.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein generating the compliant dataset comprises:

replacing a networking protocol address in the dataset in the staging database with a partial networking protocol address.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein generating the compliant dataset comprises:

deleting a networking protocol address from the dataset.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion comprises:

determining a frequency of events associated with a client device'"'"'s domain.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion comprises:

estimating a frequency.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion comprises:

determining a frequency of a feature found in information associated with networked media consumption activities during the time window.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein:

the privacy standard comprises restrictions associated with a location of a networked privacy system.

18. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable non-transitory storage medium storing processor-executable computer program instructions, the instructions comprising instructions for;

associating a privacy standard with each respective privacy zone, each privacy standard comprising a frequency criterion;

receiving, by a networked privacy system, a request in association with networked media consumption activity, from a client device;

responsive to receiving the request, selecting a privacy zone from the multiple privacy zones for the client device;

adding information associated with the client device'"'"'s networked media consumption activity to a dataset;

temporarily storing the dataset in a staging database for a time window;

preparing a compliant dataset for storage in a filtered database before the time window has elapsed by;

determining if the dataset in the staging database is compliant by determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion of the privacy standard of the selected privacy zone within the time window;

responsive to determining that the dataset in the staging database is not compliant, generating the compliant dataset by processing the dataset in the staging database to comply with the privacy standard of the selected privacy zone;

writing the compliant dataset to the filtered database.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion comprises:

determining a frequency of a feature found in information associated with networked media consumption activities during the time window.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein determining if the dataset in the staging database meets the frequency criterion comprises:

determining a frequency of events associated with a client device'"'"'s domain.