Double blinded privacy-safe distributed data mining protocol

• US 8,577,933 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veeva Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Crossix Solutions, Inc. (Veeva Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Evenhaim, Asaf
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US12/342,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,778 Days
• Field of Search: 707/603, 707/687, 707/694, 707/781, 707/783, 707/785, 707/787, 707/803, 707/808, 707/809, 707/821, 707/999.107, 707/693, 705/2, 705/3, 705/7.15, 705/51, 705/7, 705/50, 705/64, 705/69, 705/7.11, 726/26
• US Class Current: 707/809
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A Double Blinded Privacy-Safe Distributed Data Mining Protocol is disclosed, among an aggregator, a data consumer entity having privacy-sensitive information, and data source entities having privacy-sensitive information. The aggregator does not have access to the privacy-sensitive information at either the data consumer entity or the data source entities. The aggregator formulates a query without using privacy-sensitive information, and sends the query to the data consumer entity. The data consumer entity generates a list of specific instances that meet the conditions of the query and sends the list, encrypted, to the data source entities either directly or through the aggregator. The data source entities match the list against transactional data, de-identify the matched results, and send them to the aggregator. The aggregator combines results from data source entities and sends the combined result to the data consumer entity. This allows for privacy-safe data mining where both the data consumer entity and data source entities have privacy-sensitive information not available for the aggregator to see or use.

Claims

1. A method of mining privacy-sensitive data, comprising the steps of:

a) formulating a query with at least one condition,

b) comparing an initial set of privacy-sensitive data against the at least one condition in the query, and generating a list of specific instances within the initial set of privacy- sensitive data that satisfy the at least one condition,

c) transmitting the list via an electronic data communications topology to at least one data source entity having privacy-sensitive transactional data,

d) matching, by a data processing machine at the at least one data source entity, specific instances on the list with corresponding items in the privacy-sensitive transactional data,

e) de-identifying, by the at least one data source entity, the matched specific instances and corresponding items in the privacy-sensitive transactional data,

f) electronically transmitting, by the at least one data source entity, at least one file containing the de-identified, matched specific instances and corresponding items in the privacy-sensitive transactional data, to an aggregator,

g) merging, by a data processing machine at the aggregator, the at least one file into a combined result responsive to the query, wherein said merging involves combining together information about multiple different persons or entities, and said merging comprises mixing together information contained in one person'"'"'s or entity'"'"'s record with information contained in a different person'"'"'s or entity'"'"'s record to produce the combined result responsive to the query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method also comprises the step of electronically transmitting, by the aggregator, the combined result to at least one data consumer entity having the initial set of privacy-sensitive data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of formulating the query is performed by the aggregator, and the step of generating the list is performed by at least one data consumer entity having the initial set of privacy-sensitive data, the data consumer entity receiving the query from the aggregator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the list is transmitted by the at least one data consumer entity directly to the at least one data source entity.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the list is transmitted by the at least one data consumer entity to the aggregator, and the aggregator forwards the list to the at least one data source entity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of formulating the query and generating the list are performed by at least one data consumer entity having the initial set of privacy- sensitive data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the list is transmitted by the at least one data consumer entity directly to the at least one data source entity.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the list is transmitted by the at least one data consumer entity to the aggregator, and the aggregator forwards the list to the at least one data source entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of formulating the query is performed by the aggregator, and the step of generating the list is performed by at least one data originator entity having the initial set of privacy-sensitive data, the data originator entity receiving the query from the aggregator.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the list is transmitted by the at least one data originator entity directly to the at least one data source entity.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the list is transmitted by the at least one data originator entity to the aggregator, and the aggregator forwards the list to the at least one data source entity.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of formulating the query and generating the list are performed by at least one data originator entity having the initial set of privacy-sensitive data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the list is transmitted by the at least one data originator entity directly to the at least one data source entity.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the list is transmitted by the at least one data originator entity to the aggregator, and the aggregator forwards the list to the at least one data source entity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the list is encrypted before being sent to the at least one data source entity.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the list includes a sufficiently large number of identity disclosing specifics.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of merging the at least one file includes filtering out portions of the at least one file which characterize details particular to less than a predetermined number of items in the privacy-sensitive transactional data.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein formulating a query includes performing a preprocessing privacy check against a predetermined source-entity data-ensemble model.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the steps of comparing and generating, matching, de-identifying, and merging involves fuzzy matching.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein formulating a query includes transforming the query into a standardized query, capable of resulting in a syndicated reporting of the combined result responsive to the query.