System and method for sharing investigation results

• US 9,501,761 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Richards, Kevin, Cohen, David, Tasinga, Khan
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brahmachari, Mandrita
• Application Number:
  US13/669,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]

Abstract

A computer-based investigative analysis system is disclosed in which a user can share results of an investigation with other users in a way that allows the sharing user to visualize how the results will be shared before they are shared. The results are shared in the form of a visual graph having nodes, edges, and other presentation elements. The nodes represent data objects that are the subject of the investigation and the edges represent connections between the data objects. The graph is shared in the form of an automatically generated redacted graph omitting nodes, edges, and presentation elements for which the other users do not have permission to view. Before sharing the graph, the sharing user is presented with a visualization of the automatically generated redacted graph providing the user an opportunity to confirm that sharing the redacted graph will not constitute an unauthorized information leakage.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing first graph state information representing a pre-redacted graph having nodes and edges;

wherein the pre-redacted graph represents results of a first user'"'"'s investigation involving a plurality of data objects and links therebetween;

wherein a particular edge of the pre-redacted graph corresponds to a particular link connecting a first data object of the plurality of data objects with a second data object of the plurality of data objects;

wherein the plurality of data objects and the links therebetween are associated with access control lists governing access to the data objects and the links;

causing, based on the first graph state information, a visualization of the pre-redacted graph to be displayed on a video display;

receiving, based on user input from the first user, information that identifies a set of target users;

in response to receiving the information that identifies the set of target users, automatically determining a common access control level of the set of target users;

after causing the visualization of the pre-redacted graph to be displayed, automatically generating, based at least in part on the common access control level and the access control lists, second graph state information representing a redacted graph having one or more nodes or edges of the pre-redacted graph redacted;

causing, based on the second graph state information, a visualization of the redacted graph to be displayed on the video display;

wherein the visualization of the redacted graph indicates the one or more nodes or edges of the pre-redacted graph that were redacted;

after causing the visualization of the redacted graph to be displayed on the video display and responsive to receiving an indication of acceptance by the first user of the redacted graph, publishing the second graph state information to a graph repository;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular node of the pre-redacted graph corresponds to a particular data object of the plurality of data objects, the particular data object having one or more data properties;

and wherein generating the second graph state information representing the redacted graph includes determining not to include the particular node in the redacted graph in response to determining, based on the common access control level and one or more access control lists associated with the one or more data properties, that the common access control level does not have permission to view any data property of the one or more data properties of the particular data object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular group node of the pre-redacted graph corresponds to a particular set of data objects of the plurality of data objects;

and wherein generating the second graph state information representing the redacted graph includes determining not to include the particular group node in the redacted graph in response to determining, based on the common access control level and one or more access control lists associated with the particular set of data objects, that the common access control level does not have permission to view a data object of the particular set of data objects.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a second particular edge of the pre-redacted graph corresponds to a second particular link connecting a third data object of the plurality of data objects with a fourth data object of the plurality of data objects;

and wherein generating the second graph state information representing the redacted graph includes determining not to include the second particular edge in the redacted graph in response to determining, based on the common access control level and one or more access control lists associated with the second particular link, that the common access control level does not have permission to view the second particular link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each access control list, of the access control lists associated with the data objects and the links, specifies one or more access control groups and associated permissions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a common access control level includes determining the common access control level from a template file provided by a user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the common access control level includes determining, for each target user of the set of target users, a set of one or more access control groups to which the target user belongs;

and determining an intersection of the determined sets of one or more access control groups to which the set of target users belong.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein determining the common access control level includes:

determining, for each target user of the set of target users, a set of one or more access control groups to which the target user belongs;

determining a first intersection of the determined sets access control groups to which the set of target users belong; and

determining a second intersection of the first intersection and a set of one or more access control groups of an investigation authorization associated with the first user'"'"'s investigation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the common access control level consists of a set of one or more access control groups.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the common access control level consists of a set of one or more access control groups and a set of one or more access control classifications.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-redacted graph has one or more presentation elements;

and wherein each of the presentation elements of the one or more presentation elements is of a presentation element type selected from the group consisting of a text note, digital audio content, digital video content, digital audio/video content, or a document.