Location data quarantine system

• US 9,239,929 B1
• Filed: 03/26/2013
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Yu, Yan, Liang, Sam, Chu, Michael, Luo, Yuhua, Ji, Zhengrong
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, THONG P
• Application Number:
  US13/850,650
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system of quarantining user location information receives from a user device user location information that includes personally identifiable user data and user position data associated with one or more geographic positions of the user. The user location information is temporarily stored in a quarantine data storage database for a predetermined quarantine time, during such time it can be used for various analysis. After the quarantine time, personally identifiable user data of the user location information is filtered out before the user position data is sent for long-term storage to a filtered data storage system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of quarantining user location information, comprising:

generating, for a client device, an client ID including encrypted globally unique identifier;

receiving the client ID and an associated location;

in response to receiving the client ID and the associated location, identifying a first key for hashing the client ID;

hashing, by a processor, the client ID using the first key to generate a secure hashed client ID;

storing the secure hashed client ID and the associated location in a quarantine table associated with an expiration period for secure client IDs stored in the quarantine table;

after a predetermined period of time associated with the quarantine table, replacing the first key with a second key;

after generating the secure hashed client ID, but before the expiration period has expired for the secure hashed client ID, receiving the client ID and a second associated location;

in response to receiving the client ID and the second associated location, identifying the second key for hashing the client ID;

hashing the client ID using the second key to generate a second secure hashed client ID;

storing the second secure hashed client ID and the second associated location in the first quarantine table;

once the expiration period has expired for the secured hashed client ID, storing the associated location in long term memory without either of the client ID or the secured hashed client ID;

in response to receiving the client ID and the associated location, identifying a third key for hashing the client ID;

hashing the client ID using the third key to generate a third secure hashed client ID; and

storing the third secure hashed client ID and the associated location in a second quarantine table different from the quarantine table.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising once the expiration period has expired for the second secured hashed client ID, storing the second associated location in long term memory without either of the client ID and the second secured hashed client ID.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the globally unique identifier is a random number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the client ID includes a timestamp, and the method further comprises rejecting a request including the client ID where the timestamp indicates that the client ID has expired.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after a second predetermined period of time associated with the second quarantine table, shorter than the predetermined period of time, replacing the third key with a fourth key;

in response to receiving the client ID and the second associated location, identifying the third key for hashing the client ID;

hashing the client ID using the third key to generate a fourth secure hashed client ID; and

storing the fourth secure hashed client ID and the second associated location in the second quarantine table.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the associated location in the quarantine table before for the secure hashed client ID for spam potential;

analyzing the second associated location in the quarantine table before the expiration for the second secure hashed client ID for spam potential; and

allowing the client device to access the associated location and the second associated location in the second quarantine table.

7. A system comprising:

a quarantine table having an expiration period for secure client IDs and a key value;

long term memory for storing locations;

a processor configured to;

generate, for a client device, client ID including encrypted globally unique identifier;

receive the client ID and an associated location;

in response to receiving the client ID and the associated location, identifying a first key for hashing the client ID;

hash the client ID using the key value to generate a secure hashed client ID;

store the secure hashed client ID and the associated location in the quarantine table;

after a predetermined period of time associated with the quarantine table, replace the key value with a second key value;

after generating the secure hashed client ID, but before the expiration period has expired for the secure hashed client ID, receive the client ID and a second associated location;

in response to receiving the client ID and the second associated location, identify the second key value for hashing the client ID;

hash the client ID using the second key value to generate a second secure hashed client ID;

store the second secure hashed client ID and the second associated location in the first quarantine table;

once the expiration period has expired for the secured hashed client ID, storing the associated location in the long term memory without either of the client ID or the secured hashed client ID;

in response to receiving the client ID and the associated location, identify a third key value for hashing the client ID;

hash the client ID using the third key value to generate a third secure hashed client ID; and

store the third secure hashed client ID and the associated location in a second quarantine table different from the quarantine table.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to once the expiration period has expired for the second secured hashed client ID, store the second associated location in the long term memory without either of the client ID and the second secured hashed client ID.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the globally unique identifier is a random number.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the client ID includes a timestamp, and the processor is further configured to rejecting a request including the client ID where the timestamp indicates that the client ID has expired.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

after a second predetermined period of time associated with the second quarantine table, shorter than the predetermined period of time, replacing the third key value with a fourth key value;

hashing the client ID using the third key value to generate a fourth secure hashed client ID; and

storing the fourth secure hashed client ID and the second associated location in the second quarantine table.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

analyze the associated location in the quarantine table before for the secure hashed client ID for spam potential;

analyze the second associated location in the quarantine table before the expiration for the second secure hashed client ID for spam potential; and

allow the client device to access the associated location and the second associated location in the second quarantine table.

13. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium on which computer readable instructions of a program are stored, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

in response to receiving the client ID and the associated location, identifying a first key for hashing the client ID;

hashing, by a processor, the client ID using the first key to generate a secure hashed client ID;

storing the secure hashed client ID and the associated location in a quarantine table associated with an expiration period for secure client IDs stored in the quarantine table;

after a predetermined period of time associated with the quarantine table, replacing the first key with a second key;

after generating the secure hashed client ID, but before the expiration period has expired for the secure hashed client ID, receiving the client ID and a second associated location;

in response to receiving the client ID and the second associated location, identifying the second key for hashing the client ID;

hashing the client ID using the second key to generate a second secure hashed client ID;

storing the second secure hashed client ID and the second associated location in the first quarantine table;

once the expiration period has expired for the secured hashed client ID, storing the associated location in long term memory without either of the client ID or the secured hashed client ID;

in response to receiving the client ID and the associated location, identifying a third key for hashing the client ID;

hashing the client ID using the third key to generate a third secure hashed client ID; and

storing the third secure hashed client ID and the associated location in a second quarantine table different from the quarantine table.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

after a second predetermined period of time associated with the second quarantine table, shorter than the predetermined period of time, replacing the third key with a fourth key;

in response to receiving the client ID and the second associated location, identifying the third key for hashing the client ID;

hashing the client ID using the third key to generate a fourth secure hashed client ID; and

storing the fourth secure hashed client ID and the second associated location in the second quarantine table.

15. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

analyzing the associated location in the quarantine table before for the secure hashed client ID for spam potential;

analyzing the second associated location in the quarantine table before the expiration for the second secure hashed client ID for spam potential; and

allowing the client device to access the associated location and the second associated location in the second quarantine table.