SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRIVACY-AWARE INFORMATION EXTRACTION AND VALIDATION

• US 20170098101A1
• Filed: 10/10/2016
• Published: 04/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: MASON, Patrick, SINGH, Ashutosh, SAVLA, Jaikit, TEOTIA, Rahul, IYER, Ramachandran Natarajan, BHAGWAN, Varun
• Granted Patent: US 10,078,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a system to validate information about a user, or users, derived from publicly-accessible data. The system comprises a validation system that uses private data about the user to validate the user information derived from the publicly-accessible data. The validation system may receive a validation request in connection with an inconclusive result derived from the publicly-accessible data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a request that is based on a first result derived from publicly-accessible data about at least one user, the request comprising a request to validate the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data indicating an applicability of at least one item of information to the at least one user;

generating, by the computing device and in response to the request, a second result derived from private data about the at least one user, the second result being performed to determine whether the private data about the user validates the first result generated using the public data about the at least one user; and

providing, by the computing device, a response indicating a validity of the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data, the response comprising an indicator of the applicability of the at least one item of information to the at least one user.

2. The method of claim 1, the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data is inconclusive as to whether or not the at least one item of information is applicable to the at least one user, and a response is provided comprising an indicator of applicability of the at least one item of information to the at least one user.

3. The method of claim 1, the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data conclusively indicates that the at least one item of information is applicable to the at least one user, and a response is provided comprising an indicator of applicability of the at least one item of information to the at least one user.

4. The method of claim 1, the generating further comprising:

generating the second result derived from the public data and the private data about the at least one user, the second result being used in determining whether or not to validate the first result generated using the public data about the at least one user.

5. The method of claim 1, the at least one item of information comprising at least one interest of the at least one user.

6. The method of claim 5, the method further comprising:

using, by the at least one computing device, the at least one interest to identify one or more advertisements for presentation to the at least one user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the at least one computing device, that the first result is capable of being derived from the publicly-accessible data before performing a search of the at least one private data repository.

8. The method of claim 1, the request is received from a trusted source in a closed system.

9. A system comprising:

at least one computing device, each computing device comprising a processor and a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the stored program logic comprising;

receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving a request that is based on a first result derived from publicly-accessible data about at least one user, the request comprising a request to validate the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data indicating an applicability of at least one item of information to the at least one user;

generating logic executed by the processor for generating, in response to the request, a second result derived from private data about the at least one user, the second result being performed to determine whether the private data about the user validates the first result generated using the public data about the at least one user; and

providing logic executed by the processor for providing a response indicating a validity of the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data, the response comprising an indicator of the applicability of the at least one item of information to the at least one user.

10. The system of claim 9, the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data is inconclusive as to whether or not the at least one item of information is applicable to the at least one user, and a response is provided comprising an indicator of applicability of the at least one item of information to the at least one user.

11. The system of claim 9, the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data conclusively indicates that the at least one item of information is applicable to the at least one user, and a response is provided comprising an indicator of applicability of the at least one item of information to the at least one user.

12. The system of claim 9, the generating logic further comprising:

generating logic executed by the processor for generating the second result derived from the public data and the private data about the at least one user, the second result being used in determining whether or not to validate the first result generated using the public data about the at least one user.

13. The system of claim 9, the at least one item of information comprising at least one interest of the at least one user.

14. The system of claim 13, the stored program logic further comprising:

using logic executed by the processor for using the at least one interest to identify one or more advertisements for presentation to the at least one user.

15. The system of claim 9, the stored program logic further comprising:

determining logic executed by the processor for determining that the first result is capable of being derived from the publicly-accessible data before performing a search of the at least one private data repository.

16. The system of claim 9, the request is received from a trusted source in a closed system.

17. A computer readable non-transitory storage medium for tangibly storing thereon computer readable instructions that when executed cause at least one processor to:

receive a request that is based on a first result derived from publicly-accessible data about at least one user, the request comprising a request to validate the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data indicating an applicability of at least one item of information to the at least one user;

generate, in response to the request, a second result derived from private data about the at least one user, the second result being performed to determine whether the private data about the user validates the first result generated using the public data about the at least one user; and

provide a response indicating a validity of the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data, the response comprising an indicator of the applicability of the at least one item of information to the at least one user.

18. The computer readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data is inconclusive as to whether or not the at least one item of information is applicable to the at least one user, and a response is provided comprising an indicator of applicability of the at least one item of information to the at least one user.

19. The computer readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, the first result derived from the publicly-accessible data conclusively indicates that the at least one item of information is applicable to the at least one user, and a response is provided comprising an indicator of applicability of the at least one item of information to the at least one user.

20. The computer readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, the instructions to generate further comprising instructions to:

generate the second result derived from the public data and the private data about the at least one user, the second result being used in determining whether or not to validate the first result generated using the public data about the at least one user.

21-24. -24. (canceled)