USER AGENT TO EXERCISE PRIVACY CONTROL MANAGEMENT IN A USER-CENTRIC IDENTITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20090300716A1
• Filed: 05/27/2009
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Ahn, Gail-Joon
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• 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 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

A client-side user agent operates in conjunction with an identity selector to institute and exercise privacy control management over user identities managed by the identity selector. The user agent includes the combination of a privacy enforcement engine, a storage of rulesets expressing user privacy preferences, and a preference editor. The editor enables the user to direct the composition of privacy preferences relative to user identities. The preferences can be applied to individual cards and to categorized groups of attributes. The engine evaluates the proper rulesets against the privacy policy of a service provider. The privacy preferences used by the engine are determined on the basis of specifications in a security policy indicating the attribute requirements for claims that purport to satisfy the security policy.

Claims

1. In a combination including an identity manager and a user agent system, the combination for use in an environment including at least one security policy having requirements and at least one privacy policy, the identity manager configured to manage a plurality of user identities and to determine whether any user identity satisfies the security policy requirements, the user agent system comprising:

storage including at least one privacy preference relative to at least one user identity;

an editor means, responsive to user selections indicating at least one preference-related input relating to at least one user identity, for generating at least one privacy preference using the user selections;

means for supplying the at least one generated privacy preference to the storage for storage therein; and

an engine means, operatively connected to the storage, for evaluating at least one privacy preference against a privacy policy obtained from the environment.

2. The user agent system of claim 1, wherein the editor means further includes:

a means for enabling execution of a process to define at least one category, populate each category with a respective group of user identity attributes, and determine a privacy preference for each category.

3. The user agent system of claim 2, wherein the engine means further includes:

a means, responsive to an indication of at least one required attribute as specified in a security policy requirement, for performing the evaluation using the privacy preference of any category referencing the at least one required attribute.

4. The user agent system of claim 1, wherein the editor means further includes:

a means for enabling execution of a process to receive from the identity manager at least one indication of an information card each representative of a user identity, and to determine a privacy preference for each information card.

5. The user agent system of claim 4, wherein the engine means further includes:

a means for performing the evaluation using the privacy preference of any information card determined by the identity manager to satisfy security policy requirements, in response to an indication of the determination from the identity manager.

6. In a combination including an identity manager and a user agent, the combination for use in an environment including at least one security policy having requirements and at least one privacy policy, the identity manager configured to manage a plurality of user identities and to determine whether any user identity satisfies the security policy requirements, a method, comprising:

the user agent providing at least one privacy preference relative to at least one user identity;

the user agent receiving user selections indicating at least one privacy preference-related input pertaining to at least one user identity;

the user agent generating at least one privacy preference, using the user selections;

the user agent furnishing the at least one generated privacy preference to the providing step; and

the user agent evaluating at least one privacy preference against a privacy policy obtained from the environment.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprises:

the user agent conducting a process to define at least one category, populate each category with a respective group of user identity attributes, and determine a privacy preference for each category.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprises:

the user agent processing an indication of at least one required attribute as specified in security policy requirements; and

the user agent evaluating further includes evaluating the privacy preference of any category referencing the at latest one required attribute.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprises:

the user agent conducting a process to receive from the identity manager at least one indication of an information card each representative of a user identity, and to determine a privacy preference for each information card.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprises:

the user agent evaluating further includes evaluating the privacy preference of any information card determined by the identity manager to satisfy security policy requirements.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprises:

the user agent processing an indication from the identity manager specifying at least one user identity determined to satisfy security policy requirements; and

the user agent evaluating further includes evaluating, in accordance with the indication, the privacy preference of each user identity specified in the determination.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprises:

the user agent determining an acceptability of the privacy policy, using the evaluation.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprises:

the user agent determining further includes determining the acceptability on a per user identity basis, relative to the user identities associated with the at least one privacy preference used in the evaluation.

14. In a user environment including an identity manager and a user agent system, the user environment for use in an operating environment including at least one security policy having requirements and at least one privacy policy, the identity manager configured to manage a plurality of user identities and to determine whether any user identity satisfies the security policy requirements, a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for execution by a processor, that, when executed, cause the processor to:

provide, via the user agent, at least one privacy preference relative to at least one user identity;

receive, via the user agent, user selections indicating at least one privacy preference-related input pertaining to at least one user identity;

generate, via the user agent, at least one privacy preference, using the user selections;

furnish, via the user agent, the at least one generated privacy preference to the provide operation; and

evaluate, via the user agent, at least one privacy preference against a privacy policy obtained from the environment.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

process, via the user agent, an indication from the identity manager specifying at least one user identity determined to satisfy security policy requirements; and

cause the evaluation operation to evaluate, in accordance with the indication, the privacy preference of each user identity specified in the determination.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

conduct, via the user agent, a process to define at least one category, populate each category with a respective group of user identity attributes, and determine a privacy preference for each category.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

process, via the user agent, an indication of at least one required attribute as specified in security policy requirements; and

cause the evaluation operation to evaluate the privacy preference of any category referencing the at latest one required attribute.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

conduct, via the user agent, a process to receive from the identity manager at least one indication of an information card each representative of a user identity, and to determine a privacy preference for each information card.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

cause the evaluation operation to evaluate the privacy preference of any information card determined by the identity manager to satisfy security policy requirements.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine an acceptability of the privacy policy, using the evaluation.