Media Agnostic, Distributed, and Defendable Data Retention

• US 20120331284A1
• Filed: 06/23/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kouladjie, Kambiz, Blanch, Robert, Devine, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 10,237,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/088 Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068

Abstract

A data protector is described. In an implementation, the data protector promotes and enforces a data retention policy of a data consumer. In an implementation, the data protector limits access to sensitive data to the data consumers. A key manager provides a time-limited encryption key to the data protector. Responsive to collection of the time-limited encryption key from the key manager and sensitive data from a data provider, the data protector encrypts the sensitive data with the time-limited encryption key effective to produce encrypted sensitive data. In some embodiments, the data protector'"'"' provides a data consumer with access to the encrypted sensitive data and the key manager provides the data consumer with access to the time-limited encryption key to decrypt the encrypted sensitive data. The key manager deletes the time-limited encryption key in compliance with the data retention policy of the data consumer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving user data associated with a user'"'"'s interaction with Web content;

responsive to receiving the user data, processing the user data to identify sensitive data in the user data;

accessing, from a key manager computing device, a time-limited encryption key;

encrypting the sensitive data with the time-limited encryption key effective to provide encrypted sensitive data; and

providing the encrypted sensitive data to a data consumer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user data is associated with the user'"'"'s interaction with an advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user data is associated with the user'"'"'s interaction with a search engine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensitive data comprises one or more of an IP address, location data, a name, or financial data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the time-limited encryption key is associated with the data consumer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting the time-limited encryption key at a defined time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a request for the time-limited encryption key;

delivering the request for the time-limited encryption key to the key manager computing device; and

responsive to said delivering, receiving the time-limited encryption key from the key manager computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an entity identifier associated with the sensitive data effective to define entity specific sensitive data;

generating a request for an entity specific time-limited encryption key according to the entity identifier;

delivering the request for the entity specific time-limited encryption key to the key manager computing device;

receiving the entity specific time-limited encryption key from the key manager computing device;

encrypting the entity specific sensitive data with the entity specific time-limited encryption key effective to produce encrypted entity specific sensitive data; and

providing the data consumer associated with the encrypted entity specific sensitive data with access to the encrypted entity specific sensitive data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-limited encryption key comprises a time-stamped encryption key.

10. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that are executable to cause a computing device to perform a process comprising:

receiving user data;

processing the user data to identify one or more entity identifiers associated with one or more respective entities;

identifying entity specific sensitive data within the user data, the entity specific sensitive data being associated with at least one of the entities; and

encrypting the entity specific sensitive data with a time-limited encryption key specifically associated with said at least one of the entities effective to produce encrypted entity specific sensitive data.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the process further comprises providing the encrypted entity specific sensitive data to said at least one of the entities.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein said receiving the user data comprises receiving the user data in association with a user'"'"'s online interaction with Web content.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the process further comprises deleting the time-limited encryption key.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the time-limited encryption key comprises a time-stamped encryption key.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein said processing the user data identifies multiple entity identifiers associated with multiple respective entities, said identifying entity specific sensitive data comprising identifying entity specific sensitive data associated, respectively, with the multiple respective entities;

said encrypting the entity specific sensitive data comprising encrypting entity specific data portions associated with individual entities of the multiple respective entities with respective entity specific time-limited encryption keys each of which being associated with an individual entity;

said providing encrypted entity specific sensitive data comprising providing encrypted sensitive data portions to a respective associated entity.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the process further comprises:

generating a request for an entity specific time-limited encryption key according to the entity identifier;

delivering the request for the entity specific time-limited encryption key to a key manager computing device;

receiving the entity specific time-limited encryption key from the key manager computing device;

encrypting the entity specific sensitive data with the entity specific time-limited encryption key effective to produce encrypted entity specific sensitive data; and

providing an entity associated with the encrypted entity specific sensitive data with access to the encrypted entity specific sensitive data.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the process further comprises:

providing a controlled representation of the entity specific sensitive data to a data consumer, wherein the entity specific sensitive data does not have copy capabilities and becomes inaccessible at a data retention deadline; and

deleting the time-limited encryption key.

18. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer readable storage media;

one or more modules embodied on the one or more computer readable storage media and executable under the influence of the one or more processors to;

generate a key generation instruction according to a key generation policy;

responsive to the key generation instruction, generate a time-limited encryption key;

store the time-limited encryption key in a protected database;

generate an encryption key access instruction according to a data access policy; and

responsive to the encryption key access instruction, provide an online service provider with access to the protected database storing the time-limited encryption key.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more modules are further executable to:

receive a request for the time-limited encryption key from an advertising center; and

responsive to receiving the request for the time-limited encryption key, identify the key generation policy to follow.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more modules are further executable to:

select a data retention policy with a data retention policy deadline to enforce;

identify a date and time associated with the time-limited encryption key stored in the protected database;

compare the date and time with the data retention policy deadline; and

delete from the protected database the time-limited encryption key at the data retention policy deadline.