Anonymous customer reference client

• US 9,031,539 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mohajeri, Shahram
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/482,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20130324082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/41.3, 455/410, 455/550.1, 455/41.2, 455/418, 455/420, 455/557, 455/446, 455/560, 455/436, 455/437, 455/438, 455/408
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/75 Temporary identity

Abstract

A system and methodology that facilitates management and utilization of variable subscriber identifiers (V-SubIds) for protecting subscriber privacy is disclosed herein. In one aspect, an Anonymous Customer Reference (ACR) component receives a V-SubId, which is a short-lived subscriber identifier that is to be inserted in a communication messages transmitted from a user equipment instead of a unique device identifier (UDID) of the user equipment. On expiration of the V-SubId, a new V-SubId is received and utilized in subsequent communication messages transmitted from the user equipment. Further, trusted systems/applications can exchange the V-SubId for a subscriber identifier (SubId) associated with the user equipment. Furthermore, untrusted systems/applications can exchange, based on user authorization, the V-SubId for an application-specific ACR that remains static and/or valid for a predefined time period. Moreover, the application-specific ACR is utilized as a device identifier for the user equipment in subsequent communication messages for the predefined time period.

Claims

1. A user equipment, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

facilitating an authentication that allows a user equipment to communicate via a first network device of a first communication network, wherein the authentication is based on static identifier data indicative of a static identifier associated with a subscriber account related to the user equipment and wherein the first communication network is a telecommunication network;

in response to the authentication being determined to be successful, receiving, via the first network device, variable identifier data indicative of a variable subscriber identifier that has been assigned to the static identifier, wherein the variable identifier data is updated in response to determining that an expiration criterion has been satisfied comprising determining that defined number of data sessions performed by a set of applications of the user equipment have been terminated; and

directing, to second network device of a second communication network, the variable identifier data as an identifier of the user equipment during a communication associated with an application of the user equipment that takes place via the second network device.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the variable identifier data is updated in response to a defined period of time being determined to be exceeded.

3. The user equipment of claim 2, wherein the variable identifier data is updated by employing a random number generator device.

4. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

inserting the variable identifier data within a communication message that is to be transmitted from the user equipment to the second network device.

5. The user equipment of claim 4, wherein the inserting comprises inserting the variable identifier data within a header of the communication message.

6. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

requesting the first network device for anonymous customer reference data indicative of an anonymous customer reference that is specific to the application, wherein the anonymous customer reference is static for a defined time period.

7. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving from the first network device, the anonymous customer reference specific to the application.

8. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to receiving, from the application, request data indicative of a request for a device identifier associated with the user equipment, providing, to the application, the anonymous customer reference data, wherein the providing comprises providing the anonymous customer reference data in response to determining that the anonymous customer reference data is valid.

9. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving input data that authorizes deletion of the anonymous customer reference data; and

directing, to the first network device, the input data to facilitate the deletion of the anonymous customer reference.

10. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the static identifier data is associated with a subscriber identity module of the user equipment.

11. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the variable identifier data is updated in response to a defined number of queries being received from the application.

12. A method, comprising:

directing, by a user equipment comprising a processor, request data to a network gateway device of a telecommunications network, wherein the request data represents a request for a variable subscriber identifier that is to be utilized as a device identifier for the user equipment;

receiving, by the user equipment, variable identifier data indicative of the variable subscriber identifier that is generated by the network gateway in response to an authentication of the user equipment with the telecommunications network by employing a static identifier associated with a subscriber account related to the user equipment; and

utilizing, by the user equipment, the variable identifier data as the device identifier of the user equipment during a transmission of a communication message, wherein the variable identifier data is modified in response to determining that an expiration criterion has been satisfied comprising determining that defined number of data sessions performed by a set of applications of the user equipment have ended.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

directing, by the user equipment, information associated with a subscriber identity module of the user equipment to a network device of the telecommunication network, wherein the directing the information facilitates the authentication.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the utilizing includes inserting the variable identifier data within a header of the communication message.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the request data is first request data, the variable identifier data is first variable identifier data and the method further comprises:

determining, by the user equipment, that the expiration criterion has been satisfied;

in response to the determining that the expiration criterion has been satisfied, receiving, by the user equipment, second variable identifier data from the network gateway device, wherein the second variable identifier data comprises a modified version of variable subscriber identifier.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the telecommunications network is a first communication network and the utilizing includes utilizing the variable subscriber identifier as the device identifier of the user equipment during the transmission of the communication message via network device of a second communication network.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the request data is first request data, the request is a first request, the communication message is a first communication message, and the method further comprises:

in response to receiving user authorization data, directing, by the user equipment, second request data to the network gateway, wherein the second request data represents a second request for an anonymous customer reference that is specific to an application executed via the user equipment and does not change for a fixed time period; and

subsequent to receiving anonymous customer reference data indicative of the anonymous customer reference, inserting, by the user equipment, the anonymous customer reference in a second communication message that is associated with the application.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the user authorization data is a first user authorization data and the method further comprises:

in response to receiving second user authorization data, deleting, by the user equipment, the anonymous customer reference data.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a user equipment comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

directing, to a first network device of a first communication network, static identifier data indicative of a subscriber account related to the user equipment to facilitate an authentication of a user equipment in connection with determining whether to allow the user equipment to connect with the first network device, wherein the first communication network is a telecommunication network;

in response to the authentication being determined to be successful, receiving, via the first network device, first variable identifier data indicative of a first variable subscriber identifier that has been assigned to the static identifier data, wherein the first variable identifier data is utilized as a device identifier of the user equipment during a first communication via a second network device of a second communication network; and

in response to determining that an expiration criterion has been satisfied comprising determining that defined number of data sessions performed by a set of applications of the user equipment have been terminated, receiving, via the first network device, second variable identifier data indicative of a second variable subscriber identifier that has been assigned to the static identifier data, wherein the second variable identifier data is utilized as the device identifier of the user equipment during a second communication via the second network device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the first variable identifier data comprises a random number assigned to the user equipment.