Privacy method, device and computer program

• US 8,786,405 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2007
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Karjoth, Guenter, Kenyon, Christopher Mark, O'Connor, Luke James
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US11/944,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20080122580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,433 Days
• Field of Search: 340502-506, 340/523, 340/532, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.16, 340/539.19, 340/539.31, 340/568.1, 340/572.1, 340/572.3, 340/572.4, 340 101- 104, 370/345, 370/445
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/85 interconnection devices, e.g. bus-connected or in-line devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/42 Anonymization, e.g. involving pseudonyms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

The present invention relates to a privacy method for responding to read request. The present invention further relates to a device for generating a response signal and a computer program product. Methods and systems in accordance with embodiments of the invention validate, whether a read request is directed at a target tag to be protected, and, upon a match, respond to the read request by sending a response signal.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented privacy method, comprising steps of:

an anonymizer device reading at least one data value for a target tag that is to be protected, wherein the at least one data value comprises a target tag identifier of the target tag,

the anonymizer device generating a first set of tag identifiers;

the anonymizer device detecting a read request satisfying a specified condition, whereby a read request comprising a specified prefix is detected;

the anonymizer device comparing the specified prefix to the target tag identifier and to all tag identifiers of the first set of tag identifiers; and

the anonymizer device responding to the read request by sending a response signal if the specified prefix of the read request matches at least one of the target tag identifier and any one of the tag identifiers of the first set of tag identifiers, such that the response signal collides with a further response signal of the target tag.

2. The privacy method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first set of tag identifiers is generated based on a random distribution of tag identifiers.

3. The privacy method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first set of tag identifiers is generated based on data associated with the target tag identifier.

4. The privacy method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first set of tag identifiers is based on a user selected profile.

5. The privacy method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change of a read situation, and

generating a new first set of tag identifiers for each detected read situation.

6. The privacy method according to claim 5, wherein:

the change of the read situation is detected when no read request is received within a given time period.

7. The privacy method according to claim 5, wherein

the change of the read situation is indicated by user input.

8. The privacy method according to claim 1, further comprising

specifying a second set of tag identifiers which are not to be disturbed, wherein tag identifiers in the second set are excluded from the first set and wherein no response signal is sent if the read request is determined to be directed to a tag having a tag identifier in the second set of tag identifiers.

9. A privacy device, comprising:

an anonymizer device tag reader adapted to read a target tag identifier of a target tag to be protected,

a memory device, operationally connected to the tag reader and adapted to store at least one read target tag identifier,

an anonymizer device tag identifier generator adapted to generate a first set of tag identifiers and store the first set of tag identifiers in the memory device,

a read request detector, adapted to detect a read request comprising a specified prefix,

a comparator, operationally connected to the memory device and the read request detector and adapted to compare one or more tag identifiers stored in the memory device with the specified prefix of the detected read request, and

a response signal generator, operationally connected to the comparator and adapted to generate a response signal if a comparison performed by the comparator results in a match, as determined when the specified prefix matches at least one of the target tag identifier and any one of the tag identifiers in the first set of tag identifiers.

10. The privacy device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a profile selector adapted to select a profile associated with a first set of tag identifiers.

11. The privacy device according to claim 9, wherein the read request detector is further adapted to detect a change of a read situation, and wherein, in response to detection of a change in the read situation, the tag identifier generator regenerates the first set of tag identifiers for each detected read situation.

12. The privacy device according to claim 11, wherein the read request detector detects a change of the read situation when no read request is received within a given time period.

13. The privacy device according to claim 11, wherein the device further comprises a user input interface and wherein a change of the read situation is indicated by user input.

14. A non-transitory computer program device readable by machine and storing program instructions that, on execution using a processing device of a privacy device perform the steps of the privacy device:

generating a first set of tag identifiers;

reading at least one data value for a target tag that is to be protected, wherein the at least one data value comprises a target tag identifier of the target tag;

detecting a read request satisfying a specified condition, whereby a read request comprising a specified prefix is detected;

comparing the specified prefix to the target tag identifier and to all tag identifiers of the first set of tag identifiers; and

responding to the read request by sending a response signal if the specified prefix of the read request matches at least one of the target tag identifier and any one of the tag identifiers of the first set of tag identifiers, such that the response signal collides with a further response signal of the target tag.

15. The non-transitory computer program device according to claim 14, further comprising instructions to perform steps of:

detecting a change of a read situation, and

generating a new first set of tag identifiers for each detected read situation.

16. The non-transitory computer program device according to claim 15, wherein the change of the read situation is detected by one of no read request being received within a given time period and user input.

17. The non-transitory computer program device according to claim 14, further comprising instructions to perform steps of:

specifying a second set of tag identifiers which are not to be disturbed, wherein tag identifiers in the second set are excluded from the first set, and wherein no response signal is sent if the read request is determined to be directed to a tag having a tag identifier in the second set of tag identifiers.