Privacy centric feature analysis for mobile devices

• US 9,143,932 B1
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantcast
• Original Assignee: Quantcast
• Inventors: Feldman, Konrad S., Vogel Fernandez de Castro, Daniel, Blum, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRANDON J
• Application Number:
  US13/937,103
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 455410-411, 4554561-4566, 455418-420
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Privacy centric feature analysis. A secure set of multiple mapped features is selected and provided to a mobile device. Each mapped feature maps a sharable feature to a matching criterion for an item of protected information and no combination of mapped features for a secure set are unique to an individual item of protected information. Privacy compliance instructions enable the mobile device to select a mapped feature from a received set of mapped features by identifying an item of protected information available to the mobile device which corresponds to a matching criterion found in the received set of mapped features. The sharable feature of the selected mapped feature is identified and sent to a privacy compliant destination. Advantageously, the analysis system protects the privacy of the mobile device user because it does not require the mobile device to relay protected information for the selection of customized content or relevant advertisements.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for feature analysis, the method comprising:

generating multiple mapped features wherein each respective mapped feature maps a sharable feature to a matching criterion for an item of protected information;

selecting a secure set of two or more mapped features at a feature analysis system by determining that no combination of sharable features in the secure set is unique to an item of protected information;

providing the secure set to a mobile device;

providing privacy compliance instructions to the mobile device for execution at the mobile device wherein the privacy compliance instructions comprise instructions for;

selecting a mapped feature from a received secure set of two or more mapped features by identifying an item of protected information available to the mobile device which corresponds to at least one matching criterion found in the received secure set; and

identifying a sharable feature of the selected mapped feature; and

sending the sharable feature of the selected mapped feature to a privacy compliant destination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the matching criterion for an item of protected information corresponds to multiple non-contiguous geographic locations.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

sending comprises sending a non-unique identifier in conjunction with the sharable feature wherein the non-unique identifier is common to a cohort of mobile devices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

sending comprises sending a non-unique identifier in conjunction with the sharable feature wherein the non-unique identifier is common to a cohort of mobile application installations.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

at least one mapped feature maps a sharable feature of a first type of information to a matching criterion for an item of protected information of a second type of information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying an item of protected information available to the mobile device comprises:

sending a request for information to a resource system from the mobile device, wherein the request comprises at least one item of protected information found on the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

at least one item of protected information available to the mobile device comprises an item of protected information received at the mobile device from a resource system.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the item of protected information available to the mobile device comprises a geographic location associated with the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a response including at least one sharable feature from the mobile device; and

selecting a new secure set of mapped features at the feature analysis system by selecting at least one new mapped feature based on the presence or absence of a particular sharable feature in the response.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein:

selecting a new secure set of mapped features comprises determining that no combination of sharable features found in the combination of the new secure set and at least one previously provided secure set is unique to an item of protected information.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium executing computer program instructions for feature analysis, the computer program instructions comprising instructions for:

generating multiple mapped features wherein each respective mapped feature maps a sharable feature to a matching criterion for an item of protected information;

selecting a secure set of two or more mapped features at a feature analysis system by determining that no combination of sharable features in the secure set is unique to an item of protected information;

providing the secure set to a mobile device;

providing privacy compliance instructions to the mobile device for execution at the mobile device wherein the privacy compliance instructions comprise instructions for;

selecting a mapped feature from a received secure set of two or more mapped features by identifying an item of protected information available to the mobile device which corresponds to at least one matching criterion found in the received secure set; and

identifying a sharable feature of the selected mapped feature; and

sending the sharable feature of the selected mapped feature to a privacy compliant destination.

12. The medium of claim 11 further comprising instructions for:

receiving a response including at least one sharable feature from the mobile device; and

selecting a new secure set of mapped features by selecting at least one new mapped feature based on the presence or absence of a particular sharable feature in the response.

13. The medium of claim 12 wherein:

selecting a new secure set of mapped features comprises determining that no combination of sharable features found in the combination of the new secure set and at least one previously provided secure set is unique to an item of protected information.

14. The medium of claim 11 wherein:

the matching criterion for an item of protected information corresponds to multiple non-contiguous geographic locations.

15. A system comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable storage medium storing processor-executable computer program instructions for feature analysis, the instructions comprising instructions for;

generating multiple mapped features wherein one mapped feature maps a sharable feature to a matching criterion for an item of protected information;

selecting a secure set of two or more mapped features by determining that no combination of sharable features in the secure set is unique to an item of protected information;

providing the secure set to a mobile device;

providing privacy compliance instructions to the mobile device for execution at the mobile device wherein the privacy compliance instructions comprise instructions for;

selecting a mapped feature from a received secure set of two or more mapped features by identifying an item of protected information available to the mobile device which corresponds to at least one matching criterion found in the received secure set; and

identifying a sharable feature of the selected mapped feature; and

sending the sharable feature of the selected mapped feature to a privacy compliant destination.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein:

the privacy compliance instructions further comprise;

receiving a response including at least one sharable feature from the mobile device; and

selecting a new secure set of mapped features by selecting at least one new mapped feature based on the presence or absence of a particular sharable feature in the response.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein:

the matching criterion for an item of protected information corresponds to multiple non-contiguous geographic locations.