Search engine with privacy protection

• US 10,454,932 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Green Market Square Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fox, Joshua, Pelts, Michael, Shapiro, Eitan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US14/842,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20160028732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 707706, 707741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A search engine system with privacy protection, including a data indexer configured to create an index of data, a search engine configured to search the index of the data in response to a query, and create a search result set including excerpts from the data, and a privacy protector configured to identify at least one data entity within at least one excerpt of the search result set that meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion, redact the search result set by removing the data entity from the excerpt, and present the redacted search result set on a computer output device.

Claims

1. A method for providing privacy protection in a data searching system, the method comprising:

receiving a query from a requestor;

identifying within data excerpts a first data entity;

generating first redacted excerpts by removing the first data entity responsive to a first entity extraction criterion from the data excerpts, wherein the first entity extraction criterion is related to privacy consideration independent of an identity of the requestor;

generating a first redacted search result set from the first redacted excerpts in response to a search query of the data occurring after the generating of the first redacted excerpts;

identifying within the first redacted search result set a second data entity;

generating a second redacted search result set by removing the second data entity from the first redacted search result set responsive to a second entity extraction criterion, wherein the second entity extraction criterion applies rules specific to the identity of the requestor; and

presenting the second redacted search result set on a computer output device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first redacted search result set renders an access control indicator in place of the removed first data entity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the first data entity to be removed according to the first entity extraction criterion to the requestor having a role permitting access to the first data entity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving selection of an item in the second redacted search result set from a selecting requestor; and

applying controls to determine whether to provide access to a complete version of the selected item.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

maintaining a record of an identity of the selecting requestor and a description of the selected item and a reason given for selection of the item.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving with the query an access reason associated with the query, wherein the controls provide access to the selected item when the access reason permit access to the selected item.

7. A data searching system comprising:

at least one processor and a memory with instructions stored therein configured for execution by the processor, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform actions including;

receiving a query from a requestor;

identifying within data excerpts in a search result set from the query a first data entity;

generating first redacted excerpts by removing the first data entity responsive to a first entity extraction criterion from the data excerpts, wherein the first entity extraction criterion is related to privacy consideration independent of an identity of the requestor;

generating a first redacted search result set from the first redacted excerpts in response to a search query of data occurring after the generating of the first redacted excerpts;

identifying within the first redacted search result set a second data entity;

generating a second redacted search result set by removing the second data entity from the first redacted search result set responsive to a second entity extraction criterion, wherein the second entity extraction criterion applies rules specific to the identity of the requestor; and

presenting the second redacted search result set on a computer output device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first redacted search result set renders an access control indicator in place of the removed first data entity.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform actions further including:

providing the first data entity to be removed according to the first entity extraction criterion to the requestor having a role permitting access to the first data entity.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform actions further including:

receiving selection of an item in the second redacted search result set from a selecting requestor; and

applying controls to determine whether to provide access to a complete version of the

selected item.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform actions further including:

maintaining a record of an identity of the selecting requestor and a description of the selected item and a reason given for selection of the item.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform actions further including:

receiving with the query an access reason associated with the query, wherein the controls provide access to the selected item when the access reason permit access to the selected item.

13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor performs operations for searching data, the operations comprising:

receiving a query from a requestor;

identifying within data excerpts in a search result set from the query a first data entity;

generating first redacted excerpts by removing the first data entity responsive to a first entity extraction criterion from the data excerpts, wherein the first entity extraction criterion is related to privacy consideration independent of an identity of the requestor;

generating a first redacted search result set from the first redacted excerpts in response to a search query of the data occurring after the generating of the first redacted excerpts;

identifying within the first redacted search result set a second data entity;

generating a second redacted search result set by removing the second data entity from the first redacted search result set responsive to a second entity extraction criterion, wherein the second entity extraction criterion applies rules specific to the identity of the requestor; and

presenting the second redacted search result set on a computer output device.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the first redacted search result set renders an access control indicator in place of the removed first data entity.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing the first data entity to be removed according to the first entity extraction criterion to the requestor having a role permitting access to the first data entity.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving selection of an item in the second redacted search result set from a selecting requestor; and

applying controls to determine whether to provide access to a complete version of the selected item.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

maintaining a record of an identity of the selecting requestor and a description of the selected item and a reason given for selection of the item.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving with the query an access reason associated with the query, wherein the controls provide access to the selected item when the access reason permit access to the selected item.