PRIVACY FIREWALL

• US 20140047551A1
• Filed: 08/12/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nagasundaram, Sekhar, Aissi, Selim
• Granted Patent: US 9,665,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods for providing an anonymization engine. One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method comprising receiving a message directed at a recipient computer located outside a secure area by a privacy computer located within a secure area. The privacy computer may identify private information using a plurality of privacy rules and anonymize the message according to the plurality of privacy rules. Another embodiment may be directed to a method comprising receiving a request for sensitive data from a requesting computer. An anonymization computer may determine a sensitive data record associated with the request and may anonymize the sensitive data record by performing at least two of: removing unnecessary sensitive data entries from the sensitive data record, masking the sensitive data entries to maintain format, separating the sensitive data entries into associated data groupings, and de-contexting the data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a privacy computer located within a secure area, a message directed at a recipient computer located outside the secure area, wherein the message includes private information;

identifying, by the privacy computer, the private information using a plurality of privacy rules;

anonymizing, by the privacy computer, the message according to the plurality of privacy rules; and

forwarding the message to the recipient computer located outside the secure area, wherein the message includes anonymized information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of privacy rules include limitations on the type information that is allowed to be sent outside the secure area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the private information using the plurality of privacy rules further comprises:

determining a set of the plurality of privacy rules associated with the recipient computer; and

comparing the private information to the set of the plurality of privacy rules.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein anonymizing the message according to the plurality of privacy rules includes at least two of:

removing unnecessary private information;

masking the private information to maintain format;

separating the private information into associated data groupings; and

de-contexting the private information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the anonymization may be reversed by the recipient computer to obtain the private information.

6. A privacy computer located within a secure area comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer-readable medium comprising code executable by the processor for performing a method, the method comprising;

receiving a message directed at a recipient computer located outside the secure area, wherein the message includes private information;

identifying the private information using a plurality of privacy rules;

anonymizing the message according to the plurality of privacy rules; and

forwarding the message to the recipient computer located outside the secure area, wherein the message includes anonymized information.

7. The privacy computer of claim 6, wherein the plurality of privacy rules include limitations on the type information that is allowed to be sent outside the secure area.

8. The privacy computer of claim 6, wherein identifying the private information using the plurality of privacy rules further comprises:

determining a set of the plurality of privacy rules associated with the recipient computer; and

comparing the private information to the set of the plurality of privacy rules.

9. The privacy computer of claim 6, wherein anonymizing the message according to the plurality of privacy rules includes at least two of:

removing unnecessary private information;

masking the private information to maintain format;

separating the private information into associated data groupings; and

de-contexting the private information.

10. A system comprising the privacy computer of claim 6, and a recipient computer, operationally coupled via a communications network.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a request for sensitive data from a requesting computer;

determining a sensitive data record including the sensitive data associated with the request;

determining anonymization rules associated with the requesting computer;

anonymizing, by an anonymization computer, the sensitive data record using the anonymization rules to generate an anonymized data record by performing at least two of;

removing unnecessary sensitive data from the sensitive data record;

masking the sensitive data to maintain format;

separating the sensitive data into associated data groupings; and

de-contexting the sensitive data; and

sending the anonymized data record to the requesting computer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying search criteria from the sensitive data record before anonymizing the sensitive data record; and

flagging the search criteria to ensure the search criteria are not anonymized.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the anonymization rules are designed to anonymize the sensitive data record for a particular purpose.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the anonymized data record includes a hidden record identifying which anonymization rules have been executed on the anonymized data record, and wherein the recipient computer uses the hidden record to reverse the anonymization of the anonymized data record.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the anonymization computer may reverse the anonymization processes using anonymization data stored during anonymization.

16. An anonymization computer comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer-readable medium comprising code executable by the processor for performing a method, the method comprising;

receiving a request for sensitive data from a requesting computer;

determining a sensitive data record including sensitive data associated with the request;

determining anonymization rules associated with the requesting computer;

anonymizing, by an anonymization computer, the sensitive data record using the anonymization rules to generate an anonymized data record by performing at least two of;

removing unnecessary sensitive data from the sensitive data record;

masking the sensitive data to maintain format;

separating the sensitive data into associated data groupings;

identifying search criteria from the sensitive data record; and

de-contexting the sensitive data; and

sending the anonymized data record to the requesting computer.

17. The anonymization computer of claim 16, the method further comprising:

identifying search criteria from the sensitive data record before anonymizing the sensitive data record; and

flagging the search criteria to ensure the search criteria are not anonymized.

18. The anonymization computer of claim 16, wherein the anonymization rules are designed to anonymize the sensitive data record for a particular purpose.

19. The anonymization computer of claim 16, wherein the anonymized data record includes a hidden record identifying which anonymization rules have been executed on the anonymized data record, wherein the recipient computer uses the hidden record to reverse the anonymization of the anonymized data record.

20. The anonymization computer of claim 16, wherein the anonymization computer may reverse the anonymization processes using anonymization data stored during anonymization.