Method, system, and computer program product for digital verification of collected privacy policies in electronic transactions

• US 20050102155A1
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kuehr-McLaren, David G., Shoriak, Timothy, Powers, Calvin S., Walczyk, John H. III, Presler-Marshall, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Parties involved in transacting business in an E-marketplace (E-marketplace participants) each identify and submit to the E-marketplace their P3P policy and/or other relevant characteristics related to their privacy policy needs (those that they adhere to, referred to as “privacy policies”; those that they require, referred to as “privacy preferences”, or both). Submitted with the privacy policy is a digital signature that is tied to the owner of the web objects to which the privacy policy pertains. Using a digital signature assures the integrity of the privacy policy since it travels with the privacy policy and thus refers back to the original sender of the policy rather than the middleman (the E-marketplace), and if the document (the privacy policy) to which it is attached has been tampered with, the digital signature will be invalidated.

Claims

1. A method of conducting electronic commerce transactions among participants in an E-marketplace, comprising the steps of:

obtaining digitally-signed privacy-use information for each participant; and

sharing the digitally-signed privacy-use information with any participants interested in doing business with each other in the E-marketplace.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said privacy information comprises a P3P policy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of obtaining digitally-signed privacy-use information for each participant comprises at least the steps of:

requesting each participant to submit said digitally-signed privacy-use information to the E-marketplace as part of a registration procedure for the E-marketplace; and

storing all of said submitted digitally-signed privacy-use information by the E-marketplace.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of obtaining digitally-signed privacy-use information for each participant comprises at least the steps of:

requiring each participant to submit said digitally-signed privacy-use information to the E-marketplace as part of a registration procedure for the E-marketplace; and

storing all of said submitted digitally-signed privacy-use information by the E-marketplace.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of sharing the digitally-signed privacy-use information comprises at least the step of:

said E-marketplace making available all of said stored digitally-signed privacy-use information to all participants upon request.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of sharing the digitally-signed privacy-use information comprises at least the step of:

said E-marketplace making available to participants in a particular transaction the stored digitally-signed privacy-use information of all participants in said particular transaction.

7. A computer program product recorded on computer-readable medium for conducting electronic commerce transactions among participants in an E-marketplace, comprising:

computer-readable means for obtaining digitally-signed privacy-use information for each participant; and

computer-readable means for sharing the digitally-signed privacy-use information with any participants interested in doing business with each other in the E-marketplace.

8. The program product of claim 7, wherein said privacy information comprises a P3P policy.

9. The program product of claim 7, wherein said computer-readable means for obtaining digitally-signed privacy-use information for each participant comprises at least:

computer-readable means for requesting each participant to submit said digitally-signed privacy-use information to the E-marketplace as part of a registration procedure for the E-marketplace; and

computer-readable means for storing all of said submitted digitally-signed privacy-use information by the E-marketplace.

10. The program product of claim 7, wherein said computer-readable means for obtaining digitally-signed privacy-use information for each participant comprises at least:

computer-readable means for requiring each participant to submit said digitally-signed privacy-use information to the E-marketplace as part of a registration procedure for the E-marketplace; and

computer-readable means for storing all of said submitted digitally-signed privacy-use information by the E-marketplace.

11. The program product of claim 10, wherein said computer-readable means for sharing the digitally-signed privacy-use information comprises at least:

computer-readable means for making available by said E-marketplace all of said stored digitally-signed privacy-use information to all participants upon request.

12. The program product of claim 10, wherein said computer-readable means for sharing the digitally-signed privacy-use information comprises at least:

computer-readable means for making available to participants in a particular transaction, by said E-marketplace, the stored digitally-signed privacy-use information of all participants in said particular transaction.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein said privacy information comprises a P3P policy.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein said means for obtaining digitally-signed privacy-use information for each participant comprises at least:

computer-readable means for requesting each participant to submit said digitally-signed privacy-use information to the E-marketplace as part of a registration procedure for the E-marketplace; and

means for storing all of said submitted digitally-signed privacy-use information by the E-marketplace.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein said means for obtaining digitally-signed privacy-use information for each participant comprises at least:

means for requiring each participant to submit said digitally-signed privacy-use information to the E-marketplace as part of a registration procedure for the E-marketplace; and

means for storing all of said submitted digitally-signed privacy-use information by the E-marketplace.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein said means for sharing the digitally-signed privacy-use information comprises at least:

means for making available by said E-marketplace all of said stored digitally-signed privacy-use information to all participants upon request.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein said means for sharing the digitally-signed privacy-use information comprises at least:

means for making available to participants in a particular transaction, by said E-marketplace, the stored digitally-signed privacy-use information of all participants in said particular transaction.

13. A system for conducting electronic commerce transactions among participants in an E-marketplace, comprising:

means for obtaining digitally-signed privacy-use information for each participant; and

means for sharing the digitally-signed privacy-use information with any participants interested in doing business with each other in the E-marketplace.