PRIVACY PROTECTION AGAINST CURIOUS RECOMMENDERS

• US 20150339493A1
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: IOANNIDIS, Efstratios, BHAGAT, Smriti, WEINSBERG, Ehud, FAWAZ, Nadia, MONTANARI, Andrea, TAFT, Nina Anne
• Application Number:
  US14/652,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339493A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification

Abstract

A method and apparatus for protecting user privacy in a recommender system are described including determining what information to release to a user for a movie, transmitting the information to the user, accepting obfuscated input from the user and estimating the user'"'"'s non-private feature vector. Also described are a method and apparatus for protecting user privacy in a recommender system including receiving movie information, accepting a user'"'"'s movie feedback, accepting user'"'"'s private information, calculating an obfuscation value and transmitting the obfuscation value.

Claims

1. A method for protecting user privacy in a recommender system, said method comprising:

determining what information to release to a user for a movie;

transmitting said information to said user;

accepting obfuscated input from said user; and

calculating said user'"'"'s non-private feature vector.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said obfuscated input from said user includes movie feedback obfuscated to protect user private information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said movie feedback includes movie rating or movie rankings.

4. A method for protecting user privacy in a recommender system, said method comprising:

receiving movie information;

accepting a user'"'"'s movie feedback;

accepting user'"'"'s private information;

calculating an obfuscation value; and

transmitting said obfuscation value.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said obfuscated input from said user includes movie feedback obfuscated to protect user private information.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said movie feedback includes movie rating or movie rankings.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein said user private information includes characteristics, features, values or data.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein said obfuscation value is calculated by subtracting a contribution of said user'"'"'s private information from said user'"'"'s movie feedback.

9. An apparatus for protecting user privacy in a recommender system, comprising:

means for determining what information to release to a user for a movie;

means for transmitting said information to said user;

means for accepting obfuscated input from said user; and

means for calculating said user'"'"'s non-private feature vector.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said obfuscated input from said user includes movie feedback obfuscated to protect user private information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said movie feedback includes movie rating or movie rankings.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said apparatus is a recommender portion of said recommender system.

13. An apparatus for protecting user privacy in a recommender system, comprising:

means for receiving movie information;

means for accepting a user'"'"'s movie feedback;

means for accepting user'"'"'s private information;

means for calculating an obfuscation value; and

means for transmitting said obfuscation value.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said obfuscated input from said user includes movie feedback obfuscated to protect user private information.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said movie feedback includes movie rating or movie rankings.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said user private information includes characteristics, features, values or data.

17. An apparatus for protecting user privacy in a recommender system, comprising:

a data disclosure module, determining what information to release to a user for a movie;

a communications interface, transmitting said information to said user, said communications interface in communication with said data disclosure module;

said communications interface, accepting obfuscated input from said user; and

an estimator module, calculating said user'"'"'s non-private feature vector, said estimator module in bi-directional communication with said data disclosure module and also in communication with said communications interface.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said obfuscated input from said user includes movie feedback obfuscated to protect user private information.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said movie feedback includes movie rating or movie rankings.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said apparatus is a recommender portion of said recommender system.

21. An apparatus for protecting user privacy in a recommender system, comprising:

a communications interface, receiving movie information;

said communications interface, accepting a user'"'"'s movie feedback;

said communications interface, accepting user'"'"'s private information;

an obfuscation module, calculating an obfuscation value, said obfuscation module in bi-directional communication with said communications interface; and

said communications interface, transmitting said obfuscation value.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said obfuscated input from said user includes movie feedback obfuscated to protect user private information.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said movie feedback includes movie rating or movie rankings.

24. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said user private information includes characteristics, features, values or data.

25. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said obfuscation value is calculated by subtracting a contribution of said user'"'"'s private information from said user'"'"'s movie feedback.

26. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said obfuscation value is calculated by subtracting a contribution of said user'"'"'s private information from said user'"'"'s movie feedback.