Sharing management system, sharing management method and program

• US 8,332,908 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Hatakeyama, Makoto, Gomi, Hidehito, Hosono, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIE, OSCAR A
• Application Number:
  US12/305,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,009 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

In a policy-change input unit (10), a policy recalculation unit (133) compares, upon occurring of a change request of a privacy policy from a user, an existing policy against an updating policy, recalculates a transmission policy to be transmitted to other providers based on the result of comparison, and transmits the recalculated policy to the other policy. The policy recalculation unit (133) transmits a deletion request of personal information to another provider by using a deletion-request creation unit, upon judging that the another provider cannot use the personal information due to the change of privacy policy.

Claims

1. A personal information management device that communicates with another personal information management device, comprising:

a personal information storage device that stores a first policy with respect to handling of personal information, the first policy including information indicating shared personal information and a condition in which the shared personal information can be used, for each of shared users of the personal information management device and the another personal information management device;

a third policy storage device that communicates with the another personal information management device that stores the personal information including the shared personal information and a second policy indicating a condition in which the shared personal information can be used for each of the shared users and provides services using the personal information by executing the second policy, the third policy storage device communicating a third policy indicating a condition in which the shared personal information can be used and storing the communicated third policy;

a change request reception device that receives a change request that requests to change, with respect to a policy corresponding to one of the shared users, a condition in which the shared personal information of the one of the shared users can be used;

a policy update device that updates, in response to the change request received by the change request reception device, the first policy stored in said personal information storage device based on the change request to obtain a new policy of the shared user related to the change request; and

a policy transmission device that compares the new policy with the third policy of the shared user related to the change request stored in the third policy storage device, determines whether or not there is a first condition in which shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request cannot be used in the new policy but can be used in the second policy being executed by the another personal-information management device, that creates, when there is the first condition, a policy change request including a request to change a first policy so that the shared personal information cannot be used under the first condition, and that transmits the policy change request to said another personal information management device.

2. The personal information management device according to claim 1, wherein said policy transmission device determines whether or not there is a specific condition in which the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request can be used in the new policy but cannot be used in the second policy being executed by the another personal information management device, and transfers the received change request to the another personal information management device that executes the second policy in which the shared personal information cannot be used in said specific condition, upon determining that there is said second condition.

3. The personal information management device according to claim 1, wherein:

said policy transmission device determines whether or not there is a common condition in which the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request can be used in the new policy and the second policy being executed by the another personal-information management device by means of the comparison, and transmits, upon determining that there is no common condition, a request to delete all the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request.

4. The personal information management device according to claim 3, wherein said policy update device deletes, upon receiving said request to delete all the shared personal information of the shared user, all the stored shared personal information of the shared user.

5. A personal information management method comprising the steps of:

storing in a storage device a first policy with respect to handling of personal information, the first policy including information indicating shared personal information and a condition, in which the shared personal information can be used, for each of shared users of a personal information management device and another personal information management device, the first policy being executed by the personal information management device;

communicating, with the another personal information management device that stores personal information including the shared personal information and a second policy indicating a condition, in which the shared personal information can be used, for each of the shared users and provides services using the personal information by executing the second policy, a third policy indicating a condition in which the shared personal information can be used, and storing the communicated third policy in the storage device;

receiving a change request that requests to change, with respect to a policy corresponding to one of the shared users, a condition in which the shared personal information of the one of the shared users can be used;

updating, in response to the received change request, the first policy to be changed executed by the personal information management device and stored in the storage device, based on the change request to obtain a new policy of the shared user related to the change request;

comparing the new policy with the third policy stored in the storage device, and determining whether or not there is a first condition in which the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request cannot be used in the new policy but can be used in the second policy being executed by the another personal information management device;

creating, when there is a first condition, a policy change request including a request to change a first policy so that the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request cannot be used under the first condition; and

transmitting said policy change request to said another personal information management device.

6. The personal information management method according to claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether there is a specific condition in which the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request can be used in the new policy but cannot be used in the second policy being executed by the another personal information management device; and

transferring the received change request to the another personal information management device that executes the second policy in which the shared personal information cannot be used in said specific condition, upon determining that there is said second condition.

7. The personal information management method according to claim 6, further comprising:

determining whether there is a common condition in which the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request can be used in the new policy and the second policy being executed by the another personal information management device by means of the comparison; and

transmitting, upon determining that there is no common condition, a request to delete all the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request.

8. The personal information management method according to claim 7, further comprising deleting, upon receiving said request to delete all the shared personal information of the shared user, all the stored shared personal information of the shared user.

9. A non-transient computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program for causing a computer that is able to communicate with an external personal information management device to share and manage personal information of a shared user, said program defining the processes of:

storing in a storage unit a first policy with respect to handling of personal information, the first policy including information indicating shared personal information and a condition, in which the shared personal information can be used, for each of the shared users, the first policy being executed by the computer;

communicating, with the external personal information management device that stores personal information including the shared personal information and a second policy indicating a condition, in which the shared personal information can be used, for each of the shared users and provides services using the personal information by executing the second policy, a third policy indicating a condition in which the shared personal information can be used, and storing the communicated third policy in the storage unit;

receiving a change request that requests to change, with respect to a policy corresponding to one of the shared users, a condition in which the shared personal information of the one of the shared users can be used;

updating, in response to the received change request, the first policy to be changed executed by the computer and stored in the storage unit, based on the change request to obtain a new policy of the shared user related to the change request;

comparing the new policy with the third policy stored in the storage unit, and determining whether or not there is a first condition in which the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request cannot be used in the new policy but can be used in the second policy being executed by the external personal information management device;

creating, when there is a first condition, a policy change request including a request to change a first policy so that the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request cannot be used under the first condition; and

transmitting said policy change request to said external personal information management device.

10. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, said computer program further defining the processes of:

determining whether or not there is a specific condition in which the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request can be used in the new policy but cannot be used in the second policy being executed by the external personal-information management device; and

transferring the received change request to the external personal information management device that executes the second policy in which the shared personal information cannot be used in the specific condition upon determining that there is said second condition.

11. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, said computer program further defining the processes of:

determining whether or not there is a common condition in which shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request can be used in the new policy and the second policy being executed by the external personal information management device by means of the comparison; and

transmitting, upon determining that there is no common condition, a request to delete all the shared personal information of the shared user related to the change request.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, said computer program further defining the processes of:

deleting, upon receiving said request to delete all the shared personal information of the shared user, all the stored shared personal information of the shared user.