Method and system for preserving privacy related to networked media consumption activities

• US 8,185,931 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantcast
• Original Assignee: Quantcast
• Inventors: Reeves, Damian John
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr, Farid
• Assistant Examiner(s): Song, Hee
• Application Number:
  US12/340,259
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/26, 714/712, 707/3, 707/694, 707/738, 707/783, 707/784
• US Class Current: 726/1
• 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: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

A method and system for preserving privacy related to networked media consumption activity including: Source privacy zones are defined and associated with privacy standards. Privacy standards include frequency criteria governing the storage of datasets including information associated with networked media consumption activity collected from the source privacy zone. Transaction requests including a networking protocol address are received over a network from a client device at a target location by a networked privacy system. The source privacy zone associated with the client device is identified. Using the networking protocol address to access characteristics having characteristic value(s), a dataset can be created including associating the networked media consumption activity with the characteristic and characteristic value(s). The dataset is pre-processed to comply with the privacy standards. The networking protocol address is discarded. The pre-processed dataset can be stored in a filtered database on a physical storage device at a storage location coupled to the networked privacy system.

Claims

1. A method for preserving privacy related to networked media consumption activity comprising the steps of:

defining one or more source privacy zones;

associating a privacy standard with each source privacy zone, including one or more frequency criteria to govern the storage of datasets including information associated with networked media consumption activity collected from the source privacy zone;

receiving a transaction request in association with networked media consumption activity including a networking protocol address, from a client device in a source privacy zone over a network at a target location by a networked privacy system;

identifying the source privacy zone associated with the client device;

using the networking protocol address to access at least one characteristic having at least one characteristic value, thereby creating a dataset including associating the networked media consumption activity with the at least one characteristic having at least one characteristic value;

pre-processing the dataset to comply with the privacy standards wherein pre-processing comprises;

temporarily storing at least one dataset in a staging database for a time window; and

permitting the dataset to be written to a filtered database if the dataset in the staging database meets all the frequency criteria described in the privacy standards within the time window;

discarding the networking protocol address; and

,

storing the pre-processed dataset in the filtered database on a physical storage device at a storage location and coupled to the networked privacy system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the privacy standards further include restrictions on permissible data operations with respect to information associated with networked media consumption activity collected from the source privacy zone.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the frequency criteria can include the frequency of multiple characteristic values taken together.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the step of pre-processing includes using a model to estimate the frequency of at least one characteristic value.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the model is pre-configured.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of pre-processing includes discarding characteristic values which do not meet at least one frequency criterion described in the privacy standard.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the step of pre-processing includes using aggregated data to assess the frequency of at least one characteristic value.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of pre-processing includes obfuscating characteristic values which do not meet at least one frequency limit described in the privacy standard.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of pre-processing includes replacing characteristic values which do not meet at least one frequency criterion described in the privacy standard with broader value ranges to satisfy the privacy standard.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the privacy standard includes restrictions based on one or more locations selected from the group of:

the target location and the storage location.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the privacy standards include one or more frequency criteria for characteristic values with the frequency criteria set based on examining data collected in an earlier time window.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

redirecting requests received from clients based on their source privacy zone to a device at another target location coupled to the networked privacy system.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the networked privacy system includes devices disposed in different locations.

14. A networked system for preserving privacy related to networked media consumption activity comprising:

a privacy standard manager for accessing source privacy zone definitions and privacy standards including one or more frequency criteria to govern the storage of datasets including information associated with networked media consumption activity collected from a source privacy zone;

a transaction server for receiving a transaction request in association with a networked media consumption activity including a networking protocol address, from a client device located within a source privacy zone over a network at a target location by the networked privacy system;

a data extractor for using the networking protocol address to access a characteristic having a characteristic value, discarding the networking protocol address and creating a dataset including associating the networked media consumption activity with the at least one characteristic having at least one characteristic value;

a pre-processor for pre-processing the dataset to comply with the one or more frequency criteria described in the privacy standards by temporarily storing at least one dataset in a staging database for a time window and permitting the dataset to be written to a filtered database if the dataset in the staging database meets all the frequency criteria described in the privacy standards within the time window, thereby creating pre-processed datasets; and

,

a physical storage device located at a storage location and coupled to the networked privacy system for storing the pre-processed datasets in the filtered database.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the pre-processor includes a model for estimating the frequency of at least one characteristic value.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the model is pre-configured.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the pre-processor operates using aggregated data to assess the frequency of at least one characteristic value.

18. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

a staging database coupled to the pre-processor for temporarily storing at least one dataset for a time window.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the networked privacy system includes devices disposed in different locations.