System and method for privacy protection using identifiability risk assessment

Abstract

A risk assessment system and method includes an information system configured to disclose information to a third party. A risk determination model is configured to compute identifiability risk for on one or more records in storage. The identifiability risk is compared to a threshold prior to being disclosed wherein the information system is informed of the identifiability risk exceeding the threshold prior to disclosure to the third party.

Description

GOVERNMENT RIGHTS[0001]This invention was made with Government support under Contract No.: H98230-05-3-001 awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense. The Government has certain rights in this invention.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Technical Field[0003]The present invention relates to privacy protection and more particularly to systems and methods employing an identifiability risk assessment to protect against disclosure of protected information.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]Information systems deployed and maintained by businesses of different sizes often store personal information collected from their clients. Similarly, information systems of government organizations, such as the Internal Revenue Service, store personal data about citizens, as well as other private data collected from businesses. In recent years, these information systems have increasingly become computerized.[0006]Computer-based information systems enable anytime instant access to the data, and on-the-fly cr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]Another risk monitoring system includes an information system configured to disclose information to an entity, and a risk determination model configured to compute identifiability risk for on one or more records in storage. A privacy monitor is configured to receive the one

Problems solved by technology

Together with the benefits that the now ubiquitous digital technologies have brought, they have also brought new dangers.

Currently, it is becoming increasingly easy to gain unauthorized access to personal data.

Identity theft is a very serious and real threat to anyone who is sharing personal information with companies in exchange for services, credit, etc.

These problems include evaluating and managing a tradeoff between privacy protection and business efficiency, and quantifying the privacy risks associated with various business operations.

Privacy policies enacted by organizations restrict the purposes for which the information can be used.

Developing privacy policies is an extremely difficult task that any organization must perform when it establishes a system for storing personal or private information.

It is especially difficult in i

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