SEARCH ENGINE WITH PRIVACY PROTECTION

• US 20110066606A1
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Green Market Square Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: SHAPIRO, Eitan, PELTS, Michael, FOX, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 9,224,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• 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 search engine system with privacy protection, the system comprising:

a data indexer configured to create an index of data;

a search engine configured to

search said index of said data in response to a query, and

create a search result set including excerpts from said data; and

a privacy protector configured to

identify at least one data entity within at least one excerpt of said search result set that meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion,

redact said search result set by removing said data entity from said excerpt, and

present said redacted search result set on a computer output device,

wherein any of said data indexer, search engine, and privacy protector are implemented in either of computer hardware and computer software embodied in a computer-readable medium.

2. A system according to claim 1

wherein said data indexer is configured to create a set of excerpts from said data independent from the processing of queries by said search engine,

wherein said privacy protector is configured to

identify at least one data entity within said set of excerpts that meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion, and

pre-redact said set of excerpts by removing from said set of excerpts said data entity identified in said set of excerpts, and

wherein said search engine is configured to create said search result set from said pre-redacted set of excerpts in response to said query.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein said data indexer is configured to

identify at least one data entity within said index that meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion, and

redact said index set by removing said data entity from said index.

4. A method for providing privacy protection in a search engine system, the method comprising:

searching a index of data in response to a query;

creating a search result set including excerpts from said data as a result of said searching;

identifying at least one data entity within at least one excerpt of said search result set, wherein said data entity meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion;

redacting said search result set by removing said data entity from said excerpt; and

presenting said redacted search result set on a computer output device.

5. A method according to claim 4 and further comprising:

creating a set of excerpts from said data independent from the processing of queries by a search engine;

identifying at least one data entity within said set of excerpts that meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion; and

pre-redacting said set of excerpts by removing from said set of excerpts said data entity identified in said set of excerpts,

wherein said step of creating a search result set comprises creating said search result set from said pre-redacted set of excerpts in response to said query.

6. A system for classifying data in accordance with data access reasons, the system comprising:

a predefined access reasons database having a plurality of predefined access reasons; and

a data classifier configured to create a classification index of data by

identifying an association between any of said data and at least one of said predefined access reasons, and

storing said association in said classification index,

wherein any of said predefined access reasons database and data classifier are implemented in either of computer hardware and computer software embodied in a computer-readable medium.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein said predefined access reasons database includes at least one predefined association between any of said predefined access reasons and at least one predefined data entity type, and wherein said predefined association indicates that access is permitted to any of said data that includes a data entity of said data entity type.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein said data classifier is configured to identify said association by

identifying at least one data entity within any of said data, wherein said data entity is of any of said predefined data entity types, and

associating any of said data that includes said identified data entity with said access reasons that is associated with said data entity type of said identified data entity.

9. A system according to claim 6 wherein said data classifier is configured to identify said association by determining that said data matches a statistical profile of a sample data set associated with said access reason.

10. A system according to claim 6 and further comprising:

a data access request logger configured to require the selection of an access reason from said database in association with a query to be processed regarding said data; and

a privacy protector configured to eliminate from a search result set resulting from the processing of said query any search result excerpt except where access to said data underlying said search result excerpt is permitted for said selected access reason as indicated by said association in said classification index between said underlying data and said selected access reason.

11. A system according to claim 6 and further comprising:

a data access request logger configured to require the selection of an access reason from said database in association with a query to be processed regarding said data; and

a privacy protector configured to

identify at least one data entity within at least one excerpt of a search result set resulting from the processing of said query, wherein said data entity meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion, and

redact said search result set by removing said data entity from said excerpt unless said data entity is of a data entity type that is associated with said selected access reason as indicated in said predefined access reasons database as permitting access to said data entity type.

12. A system according to claim 6 and further comprising:

a data access request logger configured to require the selection of an access reason from said predefined access reasons database if the underlying data of any excerpt in a search result set resulting from the processing of a query is associated with any access reason in classification index; and

a privacy protector configured to eliminate from said search result set any search result excerpt except where access to said data underlying said search result excerpt is permitted for said selected access reason as indicated by said association in said classification index between said underlying data and said selected access reason.

13. A system according to claim 12 wherein said data access request logger is configured to present for selection only those of said access reasons that are associated with said underlying data of said search result set as indicated in said classification index.

14. A system according to claim 6 and further comprising:

a privacy protector configured to

identify at least one data entity within at least one excerpt of a search result set resulting from the processing of a query, wherein said data entity meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion, and

redact said search result set by removing said data entity from said excerpt; and

a data access request logger configured to

allow the selection of an access reason from said database in association with said query to be processed regarding said data, and

restore said data entity that was previously removed from said excerpt of said search result set if said data entity is of a data entity type that is associated with said selected access reason as indicated in said predefined access reasons database as permitting access to said data entity type.

15. A method for classifying data in accordance with data access reasons, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of predefined access reasons;

identifying an association between a unit of data and at least one of said predefined access reasons, and

storing said association in said classification index.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein said providing step comprises providing at least one predefined association between any of said predefined access reasons and at least one predefined data entity type, wherein said predefined association indicates that access is permitted to any of said data that includes a data entity of said data entity type.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein said identifying step comprises:

identifying at least one data entity within any of said data, wherein said data entity is of any of said predefined data entity types; and

associating any of said data that includes said identified data entity with said access reasons that is associated with said data entity type of said identified data entity.

18. A method according to claim 15 wherein said identifying step comprises determining that said data matches a statistical profile of a sample data set associated with said access reason.

19. A method according to claim 15 and further comprising:

requiring the selection of an access reason from said access reasons in association with a query to be processed regarding said data; and

eliminating from a search result set resulting from the processing of said query any search result excerpt except where access to said data underlying said search result excerpt is permitted for said selected access reason as indicated by said association in said classification index between said underlying data and said selected access reason.

20. A method according to claim 15 and further comprising:

requiring the selection of an access reason from said access reasons in association with a query to be processed regarding said data;

identifying at least one data entity within at least one excerpt of a search result set resulting from the processing of said query, wherein said data entity meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion; and

redacting said search result set by removing said data entity from said excerpt unless said data entity is of a data entity type that is associated with said selected access reason as indicated in said predefined access reasons as permitting access to said data entity type.

21. A method according to claim 15 and further comprising:

requiring the selection of an access reason from said predefined access reasons if the underlying data of any excerpt in a search result set resulting from the processing of a query is associated with any access reason in classification index; and

eliminating from said search result set any search result excerpt except where access to said data underlying said search result excerpt is permitted for said selected access reason as indicated by said association in said classification index between said underlying data and said selected access reason.

22. A method according to claim 15 and further comprising:

identifying at least one data entity within at least one excerpt of a search result set resulting from the processing of a query, wherein said data entity meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion;

redacting said search result set by removing said data entity from said excerpt;

allowing the selection of an access reason from said access reasons in association with said query to be processed regarding said data; and

restore said data entity that was previously removed from said excerpt of said search result set if said data entity is of a data entity type that is associated with said selected access reason as indicated in said predefined access reasons as permitting access to said data entity type.

23. A computer program product for providing privacy protection in a search engine system, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

computer program instructions operative to

search a index of data in response to a query,

create a search result set including excerpts from said data as a result of said searching,

identify at least one data entity within at least one excerpt of said search result set, wherein said data entity meets at least one predefined entity extraction criterion,

redact said search result set by removing said data entity from said excerpt, and

present said redacted search result set on a computer output device,

wherein said program instructions are stored on said computer readable medium.

24. A computer program product for classifying data in accordance with data access reasons, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

computer program instructions operative to

provide a plurality of predefined access reasons,

identify an association between a unit of data and at least one of said predefined access reasons,

store said association in said classification index,

require the selection of an access reason from said access reasons in association with a query to be processed regarding said data, and

eliminate from a search result set resulting from the processing of said query any search result excerpt except where access to said data underlying said search result excerpt is permitted for said selected access reason as indicated by said association in said classification index between said underlying data and said selected access reason,

wherein said program instructions are stored on said computer readable medium.