Method, system, and apparatus for dynamic data-driven privacy policy protection and data sharing

• US 7,818,588 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Singh, Moninder, Salmi, George V., Elliott, Jeffrey G., Tang, Jung-Mu, Duri, Sastry S., Liu, Xuan, Moskowitz, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reza; Mohammad W
• Application Number:
  US12/123,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 713/182, 713/193, 726/2, 726/27, 709/207
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A method of sharing telematics data for a vehicle with service providers can include receiving the telematics data for the vehicle, where the telematics data dynamically changes over time, and comparing the telematics data with a privacy policy associated with the vehicle. The privacy policy can specify rules for selectively releasing items of the telematics data to one or more service providers. Data items of the telematics data can be selectively provided to the service providers according to the comparing step.

Claims

1. A system for selectively providing telematics data collected from a plurality of vehicles to application service providers comprising:

a data store storing telematics data received from the plurality of vehicles;

a data store storing privacy policy information associated with each one of the plurality of vehicles, wherein the privacy policy information specifies privacy policy rules for selectively releasing items of the received telematics data to one or more application service providers;

a request processor configured to receive requests for telematics data from the one or more application service providers and provide telematics data to the one or more application service providers; and

a privacy manager configured to compare the stored telematics associated with said each one the plurality of vehicles in response to the received requests for telematics data with the stored privacy policy information stored for said each one of said plurality of vehicles, wherein said privacy manager is configured to provide only those items of telematics data to the one or more application service providers as specified by the privacy policy information, according to which an item of telematics data is provided by the privacy manager only if a stored privacy policy rule is satisfied;

wherein said privacy manager is further configured to apply at least one conflict-resolution rule for resolving a conflict between two or more privacy policy rules, such that if a first privacy policy rule dictates release of an item of telematics data and a second privacy policy rule dictates not releasing the item of telematics data, then the item of telematics data is provided to the one or more service providers only if the at least one conflict-resolution rule assigns a higher priority to the first privacy policy rule.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an agent corresponding to each one of said application service providers, wherein each said agent is configured to access telematics data on behalf of the one of the application service providers corresponding to that agent in conformance with the privacy policy information corresponding to the one of the application service providers.

3. A system for exchanging with one or more service providers telematics data for a plurality of vehicles comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor configured to;

receive the telematics data from the plurality of vehicles, wherein the received telematics data dynamically changes over time;

compare the telematics data received from each one of said vehicles with a privacy policy associated with said each one of said vehicles, wherein the privacy policy specifies privacy policy rules for selectively releasing items of the received telematics data to said one or more service providers;

selectively provide items of the telematics data to the one or more service providers based on the comparing step, according to which an item of telematics data is provided only if a privacy policy rule is satisfied; and

resolve a conflict between two or more privacy policy rules based on at least one conflict-resolution rule, wherein if a first privacy policy rule dictates release of an item of telematics data and a second privacy policy rule dictates not releasing the item of telematics data, then the item of telematics data is provided to the one or more service providers only if the at least one conflict-resolution rule assigns a higher priority to the first privacy policy rule.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the telematics data includes at least one of vehicle diagnostic information, vehicle location information, temporal information, vehicle trajectory information, vehicle acceleration and deceleration information, and vehicle occupant information.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the privacy policy rules include at least one of temporal rules, location rules, and vehicle diagnostic rules for comparing the telematics data.

6. A system for exchanging with one or more service providers telematics data for a plurality of vehicles comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor configured to;

receive the telematics data from the plurality of vehicles, wherein the telematics data dynamically changes over time;

receive a telematics event from at least one of the vehicles;

compare the telematics event from said at least one of the vehicles with a privacy policy associated with said at least one of the vehicles, wherein the privacy policy specifies rules for selectively releasing items of the telematics data to said one or more service providers according to the telematics event;

selectively provide items of the telematics data to the one or more service providers based on the comparing step, according to which an item of telematics data is provided only if a privacy policy rule is satisfied; and

resolve a conflict between two or more privacy policy rules based upon at least one conflict-resolution rule, wherein if a first privacy policy rule dictates release of an item of telematics data and a second privacy policy rule dictates not releasing the item of telematics data, then the item of telematics data is provided to the one or more service providers only if the at least one conflict-resolution rule assigns a higher priority to the first privacy policy rule.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the telematics data includes at least one of vehicle diagnostic information, vehicle location information, temporal information, vehicle trajectory information, vehicle acceleration and deceleration information, and vehicle occupant information.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the privacy policy rules include at least one of temporal rules, location rules, and vehicle diagnostic rules, said means for comparing further comprising means for comparing the telematics data with the privacy policy.