Systems and methods for protecting privacy

• US 7,797,725 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bruce, Richard H, Golle, Philippe J, Lunt, Teresa F, Greene, Daniel H
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): TABOR, AMARE F
• Application Number:
  US11/003,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20060123461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,112 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 707/602, 707/776
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification

Abstract

Techniques for providing privacy protection are provided. A query is received. Privacy policy information, extracted knowledge and optional information about available public information are determined. Information about the knowledge extraction transformations applied to create the extracted knowledge and the source data is determined. Privacy protecting transformations are determined and applied to transform the extracted knowledge based on the selected privacy policy, optional information about available public information, the characteristics of the applied knowledge extractions transformations, the source data and optional previous user queries.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of protecting privacy, wherein the computer includes a processor, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for aggregated information that is based on an extraction transformation applied to stored information, wherein the extraction transformation is based on data mining;

determining extraction characteristics based on characteristics of the extraction transformation, or the stored information, or both;

applying, by the computer, a privacy protecting transformation to the aggregated information based on a privacy policy and the extraction characteristics, wherein the privacy protecting transformation decouples the aggregated information, which combines information associated with a plurality of individual subjects, from a respective individual subject covered by the privacy policy; and

returning a response to the request based on the applied privacy protecting transformation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the privacy protecting transformation is based on the request for the aggregated information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one of the individual subjects associated with the aggregated information; and

determining public information associated with the individual subject, wherein the privacy protecting transformation is based on the public information concerning the individual subject.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a history of requests for the aggregated information, wherein applying the privacy protecting transformation is based on the history of requests.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the history of requests for the aggregated information is determined based on at least one of:

an identifier, a name, an account identifier, a protocol address identifier, a legal relationship, a location, and time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy policy is a combined privacy policy based on at least two privacy policies.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the combined privacy policy is based on at least one of:

a privacy policy associated with a subject of the request for the aggregated information, and a privacy policy associated with the originator of the request for the aggregated information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the aggregated information originates from at least one of an organization and an individual.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the organization is at least one of:

a buyer;

a seller;

an employer; and

a government entity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the aggregated information refers to at least one of:

an individual;

an organization; and

a transaction.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored information is at least one of:

transaction information;

personal information;

financial information; and

location information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the transaction information is at least one of:

credit card;

purchase;

sale;

refund;

merchandise return;

coupon; and

discount information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the personal information is at least one of:

demographic;

health;

financial;

employment;

location and ownership information.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the financial information is at least one of:

home ownership;

stock ownership;

bond ownership;

business ownership;

mortgage;

bank account;

credit score;

net worth; and

salary.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the location information is at least one of:

inferred location information and specific location information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the inferred location information is based on at least one of:

communication information and machine type information.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the specific location information is based on at least one of:

global positioning;

cellular antenna;

video;

sound; and

biometric information.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy protecting transformation includes at least one of:

merging information and aggregating information.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy protecting transformation performs at least one of:

merging, withholding, and generalizing information based on the privacy policy.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the privacy protecting transformation is based on prior requests for information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the prior requests for information are from at least one of:

an individual requestor and a group of requestors.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy protecting transformation is based in part on a generalization introduced by knowledge extraction.

23. A system for protecting privacy comprising:

an input/output circuit that receives a request for aggregated information that is based on an extraction transformation applied to stored information, wherein the extraction transformation is based on data mining;

a memory; and

a processor that

determines extraction characteristics based on characteristics of the extraction transformation, or the stored information, or both;

applies a privacy protecting transformation to the aggregated information based on a privacy policy and the extraction characteristics, wherein the privacy protecting transformation decouples the aggregated information, which combines information associated with a plurality of individual subjects, from a respective individual subject covered by the privacy policy; and

returns a response to the request based on the applied privacy protecting transformation.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein applying the privacy protection transformation is based on the request for the aggregated information.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the processor further

determines one of the individual subjects associated with the aggregated information;

determines public information associated with the individual subject; and

applies the privacy protecting transformation based on the public information concerning the individual subject.

26. The system of claim 23, further comprising determining a history of requests for information;

wherein applying the privacy protecting transformation is based on the history of requests.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein a history of requests for the aggregated information is determined based on at least one of:

an identifier, a name, an account identifier, a protocol address identifier, a legal relationship, a location, and time.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the privacy policy is a combined privacy policy based on at least two privacy policies.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the combined privacy policy is based on at least one of:

a privacy policy associated with a subject of the request for the aggregated information, and a privacy policy associated with an originator of the request for the aggregated information.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the request for the aggregated information received by the input/output circuit originates from at least one of:

an organization and an individual.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the organization is at least one of:

a buyer;

a seller;

an employer; and

a government entity.

32. The system of claim 23, wherein the request for the aggregated information refers to at least one of:

an individual;

an organization; and

a transaction.

33. The system of claims 23, wherein the stored information is at least one of:

transaction information;

personal information;

financial information; and

location information.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the transaction information is at least one of:

credit card;

purchase;

sale;

refund;

merchandise return;

coupon; and

discount information.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the personal information is at least one of:

demographic;

health;

financial;

employment;

location and ownership information.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the financial information is at least one of:

home ownership;

stock ownership;

bond ownership;

business ownership;

mortgage;

bank account;

credit score;

net worth; and

salary.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the location information is at least one of:

inferred location information and specific location information.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the inferred location information is based on at least one of:

communication information; and

machine type information.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the specific location information is based on at least one of:

global positioning;

cellular antenna;

video;

sound; and

biometric information.

40. The system of claim 23, wherein the privacy protecting transformation includes at least one of:

merging information and aggregating information.

41. The system of claim 23, wherein the privacy protecting transformation performs at least one of:

merging, withholding, and generalizing information based on the privacy policy.

42. The system of claim 23, wherein applying the privacy protecting transformation is based on prior requests for information.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the prior requests for information are from at least one of:

an individual requestor and a group of requestors.

44. The system of claim 23, wherein applying the privacy protecting transformation is based in part on a generalization introduced by knowledge extraction.

45. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising:

computer readable program code embodied on the computer readable storage medium, the computer readable program code usable to program a computer for protecting privacy comprising;

receiving a request for aggregated information that is based on an extraction transformation applied to stored information, wherein the extraction transformation is based on data mining;

determining extraction characteristics based on characteristics of the extraction transformation, or the stored information, or both; and

applying a privacy protecting transformation to the aggregated information based on a privacy policy and the extraction characteristics, wherein the privacy protecting transformation decouples the aggregated information, which combines information associated with a plurality of the individual subjects, from a respective individual subject covered by the privacy policy; and

returning a response to the request based on the applied privacy protecting transformation.

46. A method of protecting privacy comprising:

determining a privacy policy;

determining an extraction transformation, which is based on data mining;

aggregating the stored information by applying the extraction transformation to the stored information; and

applying a privacy protecting transformation to the aggregated information based on the determined privacy policy, wherein the privacy protecting transformation decouples the aggregated information, which combines information associated with a plurality of the individual subjects, from a respective individual subject covered by the privacy policy.

47. A system for protecting privacy comprising:

an input/output circuit that receives a request for aggregated information that is based on an extraction transformation applied to stored information, wherein the extraction transformation is based on data mining;

a memory; and

a processor that

determines a privacy policy; and

determines an extraction transformation, which is based on data mining and comprises characteristics of the extraction transformation, or the stored information, or both;

applies a privacy protecting transformation to the aggregated information based on the privacy policy and the extraction transformation, wherein the privacy protecting transformation decouples the aggregated information, which combines information associated with a plurality of the individual subjects, from a respective individual subject covered by the privacy policy.