METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING ONLINE COMPUTER NETWORK BEHAVIOR AND CREATING ONLINE BEHAVIOR PROFILES

• US 20090182873A1
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Connexity Audience, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hitwise Pty. Ltd. (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Gullette, Brian R. D., Nortman, Randall C., Spalink, Jan-Dieter, Hatchell, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring users on one or more computer networks, disassociating personally identifiable information from the collected data, and storing it in a database so that the privacy of the users is protected. The system receives a user identifier and uses it to creates an anonymized identifier, defined as a user identifier stripped of all personally identifiable information. The anonymized identifier is then associated with one or more users'"'"' computer network transactions. The data is stored by a collection engine and then aggregated to a central database server across a computer network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for collecting network usage data about users accessing a network and resources thereon without associating personally identifiable information with the usage data, comprising:

obtaining an identifier at a network service provider representing one or more users of a computer network;

creating an anonymized identifier using the identifier obtained from the network service provider;

associating the anonymized identifier with the one or more users of the computer network;

identifying a network communication session between a host and the one or more users of the computer network that are identified by the anonymized identifier;

collecting data being transmitted across the computer network at a collection engine coupled to the network service provider;

identifying a subset of data from among the collected data, wherein the subset of data is related to the network communication session;

associating the anonymized identifier with the subset of data related to the network communication session; and

updating a profile record in a database for the anonymized identifier based on the subset of data related to the network communication session.

2-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A computer-implemented method for collecting network usage data about users accessing a network and resources thereon without associating personally identifiable information with the usage data, comprising:

obtaining an identifier at a network service provider representing two or more users of a computer network;

creating an anonymized identifier using the identifier obtained from the network service provider;

associating the anonymized identifier with the two or more users of the computer network;

identifying a network communication session between a host and the two or more users of the computer network that are identified by the anonymized identifier;

collecting data being transmitted across the computer network at a collection engine coupled to the network service provider;

identifying a subset of data from among the collected data, wherein the subset of data is related to the network communication session;

associating the anonymized identifier with the subset of data related to the network communication session; and

updating a profile record in a database for the anonymized identifier based on the subset of data related to the network communication session.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the obtained identifier is a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network (MSISDN) number.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the obtained identifier is a static Internet Protocol (IP) address.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the anonymized identifier is created by applying a one-way hashing function to the obtained identifier.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the anonymized identifier is created by applying a one-way hashing function to the obtained identifier and a security key.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the one-way hashing function is the Secure Hashing Algorithm 1 (SHA-1).

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the one-way hashing function is the Message Digest 4 (MD4) algorithm.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the one-way hashing function is the Message Digest 5 (MD5) algorithm.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the one-way hashing function is the Digital Encryption Standard (DES).

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of obtaining an identifier representing two or more users of a computer network includes:

receiving packets at the network service provider sent by an authentication server; and

extracting an identifier at the network service provider from the received packets.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the authentication server is a RADIUS authentication server.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the received packets are RADIUS authentication packets.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the authentication server is a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein said collection engine is a passive device, and further comprising monitoring network traffic, collecting data about network transactions and recording the data in a database.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising creating online behavioral profiles unassociated with individual users, with the collection engine.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein multiple collection engines monitor network traffic, collect data about network transactions and record the data in a database, and further comprising, configuring and managing said multiple collection engines and aggregating data collected therewith through the use of an aggregation server.

43. A computing device for collecting network usage data about users accessing a network and resources thereon without associating personally identifiable information with the usage data, comprising:

one or more network interfaces that receive network packets from a plurality of computer servers that describe use of a respective computer network; and

a processor that extracts data from the network packets, aggregates the data from different networks for a session into second data that describes use of a plurality of computer networks during the session, and stores the second data in a database.

44. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the plurality of computer servers comprises internet service providers.

45. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the second data comprises one or more identifiers that anonymously identify a user and associated information about the behavior of the user on the plurality of computer networks.

46. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the second data comprises information relating to transactions that occur online.