PROCESSING INFORMATION BASED ON POLICY INFORMATION OF A TARGET USER

• US 20150220741A1
• Filed: 01/19/2015
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kamijoh, Kohichi, Osogami, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,866,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a policy acquisition unit configured to acquire a policy on disclosure of information on a target user; a collection unit configured to collect attributes that may be related to the target user from public information disclosed on a network to create an attribute set related to the target user; and a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the attribute set satisfies the policy.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a policy acquisition unit configured to acquire a policy on disclosure of information on a target user;

a collection unit configured to collect attributes that may be related to the target user from public information disclosed on a network to create an attribute set related to the target user; and

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the attribute set satisfies the policy.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an information acquisition unit configured to acquire new public information that the target user intends to newly disclose, wherein when an attribute included in the new public information is added to the attribute set, the determination unit determines whether or not the attribute set satisfies the policy.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a proposition unit configured to propose correcting the new public information if the determination unit determines that the attribute set does not satisfy the policy.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the proposition unit proposes disclosing information that hinders deriving an attribute whose disclosure is prohibited on the basis of the policy.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the collection unit calculates a score indicating the degree of difficulty in identifying the target user in association with an attribute included in the public information; and

the determination unit determines whether or not the attribute set satisfies the policy on the basis of the score.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the score of an attribute associated with an attribute whose disclosure is prohibited is equal to a reference value or less.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the collection unit creates the attribute set by collecting attributes in public information on a network, the public information being associated with the public information related to the target user with a degree of accuracy equal to or higher than a predetermined criterion.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when a reference number or more of attributes common to attributes included in the attribute set related to the target user are included, the collection unit adds another attribute in public information on the network to the attribute set.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the collection unit collects other public information on the basis of the score of an attribute included in the attribute set related to the target user.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the policy acquisition unit acquires a policy of prohibiting disclosure of an attribute or a combination of two or more attributes whose disclosure is prohibited; and

the determination unit determines whether or not the attribute or the combination of two or more attributes whose disclosure is prohibited can be derived from the public information.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the policy acquisition unit acquires a policy of allowing disclosure of a false attribute; and

the determination unit determines whether or not the false attribute of the target user can be derived from the public information.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the policy acquisition unit acquires a policy of prohibiting disclosure of a false attribute; and

the determination unit determines whether or not the false attribute of the target user can be derived from the public information.

13. A computer implemented method of executing information processing, the method comprising:

acquiring a policy on disclosure of information on a target user;

collecting attributes that may be related to the target user from public information disclosed on a network to create an attribute set related to the target user; and

determining whether or not the attribute set satisfies the policy.

14. A computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer implement a method of executing information processing, the method comprising:

acquiring a policy on disclosure of information on a target user;

collecting attributes that may be related to the target user from public information disclosed on a network to create an attribute set related to the target user; and

determining whether or not the attribute set satisfies the policy.