Parsimonious protection of sensitive data in enterprise dialog systems

• US 8,990,091 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lerner, Solomon Z., Fanty, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US13/560,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20140032219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 704/273
• US Class Current: 704/273
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method comprises classifying a representation of audio data of a dialog turn in a dialog system to a classification. The method may further comprise taking a security action on the classified representation of the audio data of the dialog turn as a function of the classification. The security action can be suppressing the representation of the audio data, encrypting the representation of the audio data, releasing the representation of the audio data, partially suppressing the representation of the audio data, partially encrypting the representation of the audio data, partially releasing the representation of the audio data, or a command.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

classifying a representation of audio data of a dialog turn in a dialog system to a classification; and

taking a security action on the classified representation of the audio data of the dialog turn as a function of the classification, the security action including at least one of at least partially suppressing the classified audio data and at least partially encrypting the audio data prior to storage of the classified audio data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein taking the security action is at least one of releasing the representation of the audio data, partially releasing the representation of the audio data, and issuing a command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein classifying the representation of audio data in the dialog system further includes identifying metadata corresponding to the representation of the audio data indicating the classification.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising identifying a grammar within the representation of the audio data of the dialog turn indicating a change in the classification indicated by the metadata based on a meaning of the audio data of the dialog turn.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein taking the security action on the classified representation of the audio data includes suppressing the classified audio data or encrypting the audio data in any location where the classified audio data is stored.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the representation of audio data is stored as at least one of a representation of a whole audio call, a representation of an audio response to a prompt, an operating information text log, and a debugging information text log.

7. A system comprising:

a dialog system including;

a classification module configured to classify a representation of audio data of a dialog turn to a classification; and

a security action module configured to take a security action on the classified representation of the audio data of the dialog turn as a function of the classification;

the security action module being further configured to at least partially suppress the classified audio data or at least partially encrypt the audio data prior to storage of the classified audio data.

8. The system of claim 7, the security action module is configured to take a security action being at least one of releasing the representation of the audio data, partially releasing the representation of the audio data suppression, and issuing a command.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the classification module is further configured to identify metadata corresponding to the representation of the audio data of the dialog turn indicating the classification.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the classification module is further configured to identify a grammar within the representation of the audio data of the dialog turn indicating a change in the classification indicated by the metadata and re-classify the representation of the audio data based on a meaning of the audio data of the dialog turn.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the security action module is further configured to suppress the classified audio data or encrypt the audio data in any location where the classified audio data is stored.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a storage module configured to store the representation of audio data by storing at least one of a representation of a whole audio call, a representation of an audio response to a prompt, an operating information text log, and a debugging information text log.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store instructions comprising:

a processor configured to execute the instructions of;

classifying a representation of audio data of a dialog turn in a dialog system to a classification; and

taking a security action on the classified representation of the audio data of the dialog turn as a function of the classification, the security action including at least partially suppressing the classified audio data or at least partially encrypting the audio data prior to storage of the classified audio data.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein taking the security action is at least one of releasing the representation of the audio data, partially releasing the representation of the audio data suppression, and issuing a command.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein classifying the representation of audio data in the dialog system further includes identifying metadata corresponding to the representation of the audio data indicating the classification.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising identifying a grammar within the representation of the audio data of the dialog turn indicating a change in the classification indicated by the metadata based on a meaning of the audio data of the dialog turn.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein taking the security action on the classified representation of the audio data includes suppressing the classified audio data or encrypting the audio data in any location where the classified audio data is stored.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the representation of audio data is stored as at least one of a representation of a whole audio call, a representation of an audio response to a prompt, an operating information text log, and a debugging information text log.