Anonymous customer reference services enabler

• US 8,989,710 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2014
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mohajeri, Shahram
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US14/219,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20140206315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/410, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/418, 726/3, 726/5, 726/22, 726/26, 726/27
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/75 Temporary identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Variable subscriber identifiers (V-SubIds) for protecting subscriber privacy are generated and managed. In one aspect, an Anonymous Customer Reference Services (ACRS) component generates a V-SubId, which is a short-lived subscriber identifier that is inserted in a request received from a user equipment during request enrichment. Moreover, a different V-SubId can be inserted in subsequent request from the user equipment and thus, cross-site behavior tracking can be mitigated. In one aspect, the V-SubId can be exchanged for a subscriber identifier (SubId) associated with the user equipment, upon query by trusted systems/applications. Further, the V-SubId can be exchanged for a site-specific Anonymous Customer Reference (ACR) upon query by untrusted systems/applications, if user authorization is received. Moreover, the life cycle of the ACR is managed by the ACRS component, based on subscriber input.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

facilitating an authentication of a user equipment that allows the user equipment to connect with a set of devices of a cellular network, wherein the authentication is based on static identifier data indicative of a static identifier assigned to a subscriber account related to the user equipment,

based on the authentication, selecting variable subscriber identifier data indicative of a variable subscriber identifier that is to be assigned to the user equipment, wherein the variable subscriber identifier is updated in response to determining that an expiration criterion has been satisfied and wherein the variable subscriber identifier data is directed to an untrusted device with first request data indicative of a first request for a first operation to be performed that is received from the user equipment,

in response to receiving, from the untrusted device, query data requesting anonymous customer reference data indicative of an anonymous customer reference value that corresponds to the variable subscriber identifier and is assigned to the untrusted device, determining the anonymous customer reference data, wherein the anonymous customer reference value remains constant for a defined time period; and

in response to receiving, from the user equipment, second request data indicative of a second request for a second operation to be performed that is to be directed to the untrusted device, directing, to the untrusted device, the anonymous customer reference data with the second request data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the variable subscriber identifier is updated in response to determining that a timer has expired.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the variable subscriber identifier is updated in response to determining that a data session associated with the user equipment has been terminated.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating a transmission of the static identifier data to a trusted device during a communication between the user equipment and the trusted device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the untrusted device is a first untrusted device and the operations further comprise:

in response to determining that third request data indicative of a third request for a third operation to be performed that is to be directed to a second untrusted device has been received from the user equipment, directing, to the second untrusted device, the variable subscriber identifier data with the third request data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining the anonymous customer reference data comprises determining the anonymous customer reference data subsequent to receiving authorization data from the user equipment.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the authorization data specifies the defined time period.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing, in a network data store, identifier data indicative of the untrusted device and the anonymous customer reference data, and wherein the identifier data is linked to the anonymous customer reference data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the anonymous customer reference data is deleted in response to receiving cancellation request data from the user equipment.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the anonymous customer reference data comprises a defined code that specifies that the anonymous customer reference data comprises the anonymous customer reference value.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to determining that third request data indicative of a third request for the static identifier has been received from a trusted device, facilitating a transmission of the static identifier data to the trusted device,

wherein the third request data comprises the anonymous customer reference data.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the

identifier data comprises uniform resource locator data associated with the untrusted device.

13. A method, comprising:

based on an authorization of a user equipment with a network device of a cellular network, determining, by a gateway device of the cellular network that comprises a processor, variable subscriber identifier data indicative of a variable subscriber identifier that is to be assigned to the user equipment, wherein the variable subscriber identifier is modified in response to determining that an expiration criterion has been satisfied and wherein the authorization is based on static identifier data indicative of a static identifier assigned to a subscriber account related to the user equipment;

directing, by the gateway device, the variable subscriber identifier data to an untrusted device with communication data that is received from the user equipment;

in response to receiving, from the untrusted device, query data requesting anonymous customer reference data comprising an anonymous customer reference value that corresponds to the variable subscriber identifier, assigning, by the gateway device, the anonymous customer reference data to the untrusted device, wherein the anonymous customer reference value remains unchanged for a defined time period; and

in response to the assigning, directing, by the gateway device, the anonymous customer reference data to the untrusted device with subsequent communication data that is received from the user equipment.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

prohibiting, by the gateway device, a transmission of the static identifier data to the untrusted device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the assigning comprises assigning the

anonymous customer reference data to the untrusted device in response to receiving authorization data from the user equipment.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing, by the gateway device, address data indicative of an address of the untrusted device with the anonymous customer reference value.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

in response to receiving cancellation request data from the user equipment, deleting, by the gateway device, the anonymous customer reference data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication data is first communication data, the subsequent communication data is second communication data, and the method further comprises:

subsequent to the deleting, directing, by the gateway device, the variable subscriber identifier data to the untrusted device with third communication data that is received from the user equipment.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a gateway device of a cellular network that comprises a processor, to perform operations comprising:

based on an authorization of a user equipment with a network device of the cellular network, determining variable subscriber identifier data indicative of a variable subscriber identifier that is to be assigned to the user equipment, wherein the variable subscriber identifier is updated in response to determining that an expiration criterion has been satisfied, wherein the authorization is based on static identifier data indicative of a static identifier that is assigned to a subscriber account related to the user equipment, and wherein the static identifier data that is to be utilized during a first communication of the user equipment with an untrusted device is replaced with the variable subscriber identifier data;

in response to receiving, from the untrusted device, query data requesting anonymous customer reference data, linking the anonymous customer reference data to the untrusted device, wherein the anonymous customer reference data is indicative of an anonymous customer reference value that corresponds to the variable subscriber identifier and is assigned to the untrusted device for a defined time period; and

subsequent to the linking and in response to receiving, from the user equipment, request data indicative of a request for a second communication of the user equipment with the untrusted device, facilitating a transmission of the anonymous customer reference data to the untrusted device during the second communication.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the linking comprises linking the anonymous customer reference data to the untrusted device in response to receiving authorization data from the user equipment.