Controlled sharing of personal data

• US 8,793,340 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2007
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales DIS France SA
• Original Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Faure, Frdric, Mallet, Lionel
• Primary Examiner(s): BEHARRY, NOEL R
• Application Number:
  US12/307,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,576 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32

Abstract

A first user of a first communicating object shares personal data in response to a request from a second user. The shared data are associated with a reference of the second user in the first communicating object and are transmitted to the second communicating object in order to be recorded therein in association with a reference of the first user. The first user controls the shared personal data from the first communicating object by transmitting a control instruction to the second communicating object. The instruction contains at least the reference of the first user in order to find the personal data of the first user in association with the reference in the second communicating object, and to treat the personal data according to the transmitted control instruction.

Claims

1. A method for controlling sharing of personal data of a first user of a first communicating device with a second user of a second communicating device, comprising the following steps:

sharing, in the first communicating device, in response to a request from a second user, personal data of the first user recorded in the first communicating device among other personal data of the first user,

receiving, by the first communicating device, an anonymous reference of the second user for anonymously referencing the second user to the first user;

receiving, by the second communicating device, an anonymous reference of the first user for anonymously referencing the first user to the second user;

associating, in the first communicating device, the personal data shared with the anonymous reference of the second user, wherein the associating step comprises recording, in the first communicating device, the personal data shared and the anonymous reference of the second user for identifying the personal data that was shared with the second user; and

transmitting the shared personal data to the second communicating device along with rules of utilization for the shared personal data and recording said shared personal data and rules of utilization in the second communicating device in association with the anonymous reference of the first user, wherein the recording step comprises recording, in the second communicating device, the shared personal data and the rules of utilization and the anonymous reference of the first user for identifying the personal data that was received from the first user,

wherein the anonymous reference characterizes the respective user and/or their communicating object, without another user being able to identify the respective user directly and without another user being able to communicate directly with the respective user.

2. A method according to claim 1, including after the step of sharing, a step of controlling, from the first communicating device, the shared personal data of the first user by transmitting a control instruction containing at least the anonymous reference of the first user to the second communicating device in order to find, in the second communicating device, the personal data of the first user in association with the anonymous reference of the first user extracted from the control instruction and to treat said personal data according to the transmitted control instruction.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of controlling includes:

in the first communicating device, updating at least one personal datum of the first user into a modified personal datum, searching for the anonymous reference of the second user associated with the personal datum, and transmitting the control instruction containing the modified personal datum and the anonymous reference of the first user to the second communicating device, and updating the personal datum associated with the reference of the first user extracted from the control instruction in the second communicating device according to the modified personal datum extracted from the control instruction.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of controlling includes a transmission of the control instruction containing the anonymous reference of the first user from the first communicating device to the second communicating device, the deletion of at least one personal datum associated with the anonymous reference of the first user extracted from the control instruction in the second communicating device and the deletion of the association between said personal datum and the anonymous reference of the second user in the first communicating device.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of controlling further includes the transmission of the anonymous reference of the second user from the first communicating device to server means and the transmission of an access address corresponding to the transmitted anonymous reference of the second user from the server means to the first communicating device, so that the first communicating device transmits, according to the access address, the control instruction to the second communicating device.

6. A method according to claim 1, initially including recording personal data of the first user in the first communicating device, transmitting an access address of the first communicating device from said first said communicating device to server means, generating the anonymous reference of the first user by the server means, and matching the anonymous reference of the first user with the access address transmitted in the server means.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein the step of controlling includes a transmission of the control instruction containing the anonymous reference of the first user from the first communicating device to the second communicating device, the deletion of at least one personal datum associated with the anonymous reference of the first user extracted from the control instruction in the second communicating device and the deletion of the association between said personal datum and the anonymous reference of the second user in the first communicating device.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of controlling further includes the transmission of the anonymous reference of the second user from the first communicating device to server means and the transmission of an access address corresponding to the transmitted anonymous reference of the second user from the server means to the first communicating device, so that the first communicating device transmits, according to the access address, the control instruction to the second communicating device.

9. A method according to claim 3, wherein the step of controlling further includes the transmission of the anonymous reference of the second user from the first communicating device to server means and the transmission of an access address corresponding to the transmitted anonymous reference of the second user from the server means to the first communicating device, so that the first communicating device transmits, according to the access address, the control instruction to the second communicating device.

10. A method according to claim 4, wherein the step of controlling further includes the transmission of the anonymous reference of the second user from the first communicating device to server means and the transmission of an access address corresponding to the transmitted anonymous reference of the second user from the server means to the first communicating device, so that the first communicating device transmits, according to the access address, the control instruction to the second communicating device.

11. A method according to claim 2, initially including recording personal data of the first user in the first communicating device, transmitting an access address of the first communicating device from said first said communicating device to server means, generating the anonymous reference of the first user by the server means, and matching the anonymous reference with the access address transmitted in the server means.

12. A method according to claim 3, initially including recording personal data of the first user in the first communicating device, transmitting an access address of the first communicating device from said first said communicating device to server means, generating the anonymous reference of the first user by the server means, and matching the anonymous reference with the access address transmitted in the server means.

13. A method according to claim 4, initially including recording personal data of the first user in the first communicating device, transmitting an access address of the first communicating device from said first said communicating device to server means, generating the anonymous reference of the first user by the server means, and matching the anonymous reference with the access address transmitted in the server means.

14. A method according to claim 5, initially including recording personal data of the first user in the first communicating device, transmitting an access address of the first communicating device from said first said communicating device to the server means, generating the anonymous reference of the first user by the server means, and matching the anonymous reference with the access address transmitted in the server means.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the shared personal data to the second communicating device includes sending of the shared personal data to the second communicating device without revealing to the second communication device an identity of the first user of the shared personal data.

16. A method according to claim 1, further including:

identifying, by server means, an access address of the second communicating device according to the anonymous reference of the second user transmitted by the first communicating device; and

transmitting, by the first communicating device, information to the second communicating device in accordance with the identified access address of the second communicating device.

17. A communicating object of a first user communicating with a second communicating object of a second user for controlling sharing of personal data of the first user with the second user, comprising:

means for sharing in response to a request from the second user of a personal datum of the first user recorded in the first communicating object among other personal data of the first user,

means for receiving an anonymous reference of the second user for anonymously referencing the second user to the first user;

means for receiving an anonymous reference of the first user for anonymously referencing the first user to the second user;

means for associating the shared personal data with the anonymous reference of the second user by recording, in the first communicating object, the shared personal data and the anonymous reference of the second user for identifying the personal data that was shared with the second user,

means for transmitting the shared personal data along with rules of utilization for the shared personal data to the second communicating object in order to record the transmitted personal data and the rules of utilization in the second communicating object in association with the anonymous reference of the first user by recording, in the second communicating object, the transmitted personal data and the rules of utilization and the anonymous reference of the first user for identifying the personal data that was transmitted from the first user, and

means for controlling the shared personal data of the first user by transmitting a control instruction containing at least the anonymous reference of the first user to the second communicating object in order to find, in the second communicating object, the personal data of the first user in association with the anonymous reference of the first user extracted from the control instruction and to treat said personal data according to the transmitted control instruction,

wherein the anonymous reference characterizes the respective user and/or their communicating object, without another user being able to identify the respective user directly and without another user being able to communicate directly with the respective user.

18. A communicating object communicating with a first communicating object of a first user controlling sharing of personal data with a second user using said communicating object, comprising:

means for requesting personal data from the first user recorded in the first communicating object among other personal data of the first user, the shared personal data recorded in the first communicating object being associated with an anonymous reference of the second user for anonymously referencing the second user to the first user, wherein the shared personal data and the anonymous reference of the second user are recorded, in the first communicating object, for identifying the personal data that was shared with the second user,

means for recording the transmitted shared personal data along with rules of utilization for the shared personal data in association with the anonymous reference of the first user by recording, in the second communicating object, the transmitted personal data and the rules of utilization and the anonymous reference of the first user for identifying the personal data that was shared from the first user, and

means for treating the shared personal data associated with the anonymous reference of the first user extracted from a control instruction transmitted from the first communicating object according to the control instruction,

wherein the anonymous reference characterizes the respective user and/or their communicating object, without another user being able to identify the respective user directly and without another user being able to communicate directly with the respective user.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein a program able to be implemented in a first communicating device communicating with a second communicating device of a second user for controlling sharing of personal data of a first user with the second user, said program including instructions which, when the program is run in the first communicating device, carry out the following steps:

sharing, in response to a request from the second user, the personal data of the first user recorded in the first communicating device among other personal data of the first user,

receiving an anonymous reference of the second user for anonymously referencing the second user to the first user;

receiving an anonymous reference of the first user for anonymously referencing the first user to the second user;

associating the personal data shared with the anonymous reference of the second user, wherein the associating step comprises recording, in the first communicating object, the shared personal data and the anonymous reference of the second user for identifying the personal data that was shared with the second user;

transmitting the shared personal data along with rules of utilization for the shared personal data to the second communicating device, in order to record the transmitted personal data and rules of utilization in the second communicating device in association with the anonymous reference of the first user by recording, in the second communicating device, the shared personal data and the rules of utilization and the anonymous reference of the first user for identifying the personal data that was received from the first user, and

controlling the shared personal data of the first user by transmitting a control instruction containing at least the anonymous reference of the first user to the second communicating device, in order to find in the second communicating device the personal data of the first user in association with the anonymous reference of first user extracted from the control instruction and to treat said personal data according to the transmitted control instruction,

wherein the anonymous reference characterizes the respective user and/or their communicating object, without another user being able to identify the respective user directly and without another user being able to communicate directly with the respective user.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein a program able to be implemented in a communicating device communicating with a first communicating device of a first user controlling sharing of personal data with a second user using said communicating device, said program including instructions which, when the program is run in said communicating device, carry out the following steps:

requesting personal data of the first user recorded in the first communicating device among other personal data of the first user, the shared personal data recorded in the first communicating device being associated with an anonymous reference of the second user for anonymously referencing the second user to the first user, wherein the shared personal data and the anonymous reference of the second user are recorded, in the first communicating object, for identifying the personal data that was shared with the second user,

recording the transmitted shared personal data along with rules of utilization for the shared personal data in association with an anonymous reference of the first user by recording, in the second communicating object, the transmitted personal data and the rules of utilization and the anonymous reference of the first user for identifying the personal data that was shared from the first user, and

treating the shared personal data associated with the anonymous reference of the first user extracted from a control instruction transmitted from the first communicating device, according to the transmitted control instruction,

wherein the anonymous reference characterizes the respective user and/or their communicating object, without another user being able to identify the respective user directly and without another user being able to communicate directly with the respective user.