Privacy service

• US 20040088295A1
• Filed: 10/30/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Glazer, Elliott, Bishop, Fred
• Granted Patent: US 6,886,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6272 by registering files or documents with a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A system and method providing a privacy service for facilitating the auditing and control of privacy data such as demographic and financial information. In accordance with one embodiment, the system suitably includes a database, a registration module, a tracking module, and an audit module. A consumer, corporation, or other user may use the system to perform a self audit of their privacy data to see how the privacy data is collected, used and disseminated by various third party entities such as merchants, financial institutions, marketing organizations and the like. Tracking information related to the use, collection and dissemination of the privacy data is stored by the system for later access by the user.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating a self audit of a privacy data of a user, comprising the steps:

collecting the privacy data in accordance with a privacy policy of the user;

storing the privacy data; and

allowing the user to self audit the privacy data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of storing the privacy data comprises storing the privacy data in a central database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of storing the privacy data comprises storing the privacy data in a plurality of distributed databases.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

tracking access made to the privacy data in the form of tracking data;

providing said tracking data to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of tracking comprises:

tracking a subset of modifications made to the privacy data;

tracking a subset of deletions made to the privacy data;

tracking a subset of additions made to the privacy data;

tracking an identity of one or more accessing entities that access the privacy data; and

tracking a date and a time of one or more accesses made to the privacy data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of tracking further comprises tracking a content of the privacy data accessed by one of the accessing entities.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of tracking further comprises tracking a dissemination of the privacy data by one of the accessing entities.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing the user with the capability of modifying the privacy data.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of propagating the modified privacy data to associated third parties.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of propagating the modified privacy data to associated government entities.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of classifying a plurality of third party entities into a plurality of classes;

and

wherein said step of allowing the user to self audit includes providing the user with a capability to allow and disallow access to the privacy data to specified classes of third party entities.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of disclosing an identity of one or more third party entities that is allowed access to the privacy data.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of disclosing an identity of one or more third party entities that is disallowed access to the privacy data.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of disclosing a content of the privacy data that may be accessed.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

disseminating the privacy data; and

rewarding the user for the disseminating of the data.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of allowing the user to self audit the privacy data comprises:

providing a plurality of access modes to the user for accessing the privacy data;

reporting the privacy data to the user;

reporting all uses of the privacy data to the user;

reporting all dissemination of the privacy data to the user;

allowing the user to change the privacy data; and

allowing the user to change access to the privacy data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of access modes includes accessing the privacy data by one of an Internet device, a voice response unit, a point of sale terminal, an interactive television, a telephone, and a video text.

18. A method of facilitating the use of privacy data belonging to an entity, comprising the steps of:

storing said privacy data;

tracking all access made to said privacy data;

comparing said access to a policy of the entity; and

reporting said comparison of said policy to the entity.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of automatically paying a royalty to the entity, wherein said royalty is based on said access made to said privacy data.

20. A privacy service system for maintaining privacy data for a user, said system comprising:

a database for storing the privacy data;

a registration module configured to register the user for the privacy service;

a tracking module configured to track access to the privacy data of the user; and

an audit module configured to allow the user to audit the privacy data.