Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus, used for enabling a network to delete data of a user when the user revokes authorization, thereby satisfying the requirement of the user for use of the data of the user. The method comprises: receiving a data subscription request from a second network element, and in response to the data subscription request, sending first data to the second network element, wherein the data subscription request indicates that the second network element requests to subscribe to corresponding data, and the first data includes data of a first user; and then receiving first information, and sending second information to the second network element on the basis of the first information, wherein the first information is used for instructing the first user to revoke authorization for a network to collect and / or use the data of the first user, the network comprises a first network element and the second network element, the second information comprises first instruction information, the first instruction information is used for instructing to delete second data, the second data is comprised in the first data, and the second data includes the data of the first user.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510380644.6, filed on March 27, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Currently, the network supports network elements such as the network data analytics function (NWDAF) and data collection coordination function (DCCF) to collect and / or use user data. For example, before collecting and / or using user data, the network element collecting the data needs to check the user's authorization, i.e., whether the user allows the network to collect and / or use the user's data for certain purposes (such as model training / testing, or session management analysis). If the user authorizes it, the network element collecting the data can collect the user's data; otherwise, it cannot collect the user's data.

[0004] However, if a user's needs change, such as if the user revokes authorization and no longer allows the network to collect and / or use the user's data, how the network can meet the user's needs in this situation becomes an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to enable the network to delete user data when the user revokes authorization, thereby satisfying the user's requirements for using user data.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a first communication device. For example, the first communication device may be a first network element, or a component within the first network element (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions, including but not limited to a modem chip, a baseband chip, a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip, etc.). Alternatively, the first communication device may also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a communication device. The following description uses the first communication device as an example of a first network element. The method includes: receiving a data subscription request from a second network element; and in response to the data subscription request, sending first data to the second network element. The data subscription request instructs the second network element to subscribe to corresponding data, and the first data includes data from a first user. Subsequently, receiving first information and, based on the first information, sending second information to the second network element. The first information is used to instruct the first user to revoke authorization for the network to collect and / or use the first user's data. The network includes a first network element and a second network element. The second information includes a first instruction information, which is used to instruct the deletion of second data. The second data is contained within the first data and includes the first user's data.

[0008] Therefore, if the first network element responds to the subscription of the second network element in advance and provides the corresponding data to the first network element, such as the first data, which contains the data of the first user, then in the event that the first user cancels the authorization, the first network element can instruct the second network element to delete the relevant data containing the data of the first user in the first data, such as the second data. That is, the network can delete the data of the first user in the event that the first user cancels the authorization, so as to meet the user's requirements for the use of user data.

[0009] It should be understood that the first network element can be a network element used to provide user data. The first network element can also be different depending on the application scenario of the user data. For example, in a location scenario, the first network element can be a location network element used to provide user location data and / or location measurement data, etc. Alternatively, in a session management scenario, the first network element can be a session management function network element used to provide user session data. Or, in a mobility management scenario, the first network element can be an access and mobility management function network element used to provide user mobility-related data. The second network element can be a network element used for data processing, such as a data processing network element used for data analysis, data addition / deletion / modification, data storage, or data forwarding, etc.

[0010] In one possible design, the first data is the second data. That is, if it is impossible to distinguish which data belongs to the first user, the first network element can instruct the second network element to delete all the pre-subscribed data to ensure that the data of the first user can also be deleted.

[0011] In one possible design, the second information includes a sample identifier, and the second data is the data corresponding to the sample identifier in the first data. That is, if the data is provided at the sample level, the first network element can precisely instruct the deletion of the data of the first user corresponding to the sample identifier by indicating the sample identifier, so as to avoid the second network element deleting other irrelevant data as well.

[0012] Optionally, when sending data corresponding to a sample identifier to a second network element in response to a data subscription request, the method further includes: associating the identifier of the first user with the sample identifier corresponding to the first user's data; correspondingly, when receiving the first information, the method further includes: determining the sample identifier associated with the identifier of the first user. That is, if the first network element establishes an association between sample identifiers and users in advance, then when the first user revokes authorization, the first network element can determine which data samples, i.e., sample identifiers, the first user has associated with, based on this association, thus preventing the second network element from deleting other irrelevant data as well.

[0013] In one possible design, the second information includes the identifier of the first user, and the first data is the data of the first user in the second data. That is, if the data is provided at the user level, the first network element can instruct the second network element to delete the data of the first user to avoid the second network element deleting other irrelevant data as well, and the data deletion can be more accurate.

[0014] Optionally, the second information also includes purpose information, which indicates the purpose of data collection and / or use. The second data is the data of the first user that satisfies the purpose of data collection and / or use, in order to achieve more accurate data deletion. For example, if the authorization revoked by the user is for the purpose indicated by the purpose information, the network can delete only the user's data collected and / or used for such purpose.

[0015] Optionally, when sending the first user's data to the second network element in response to a data subscription request, the method further includes: sending the first user's identifier to the second network element to enable providing and / or using data at the user level. For example, the first user's identifier sent to the second network element includes: sending the first user's identifier to the second network element and a sample identifier corresponding to the first user's data.

[0016] In one possible design, the second information further includes second instruction information, which indicates the reason for deleting the first data. This reason is that the user has revoked authorization for the network to collect and / or use the user's data, so that the second network element can know the reason for deleting the data.

[0017] In one possible design, the method further includes: when sending the first user's data to a second network element in response to a data subscription request, associating the association information corresponding to the first user with the information of the second network element. Thus, sending second information to the second network element based on the first information includes: determining the information of the second network element associated with the association information based on the first information, and sending the second information to the second network element based on the information of the second network element. In other words, since the first network element establishes an association between the authorization change of the subscribed user and the second network element when responding to the subscription and providing user data, if the user cancels the authorization, the first network element can know, based on the association, which network element to instruct to delete the user's data, thus avoiding data deletion errors.

[0018] Optionally, before receiving the first information, the method further includes: sending a service subscription request to the data management network element, the service subscription request instructing the first network element to subscribe to the authorization change of the first user, the service subscription request including associated information, the associated information including the identifier of the first user and / or a notification associated identifier, the notification associated identifier being used to identify the subscription to the authorization change of the first user; receiving the first information includes: receiving the first information containing the associated information returned by the data management network element. That is, when the data management network element returns the notification of the user's authorization change, it also returns the associated information to trigger the first network element to instruct the second network element to delete the corresponding data based on the obtained associated information.

[0019] Optionally, the method further includes: upon receiving an unsubscribe message from the second network element, saving the association relationship between the associated information and the information of the second network element, wherein the unsubscribe message instructs the second network element to unsubscribe from the corresponding data, so that if the user cancels the user authorization after the second network element cancels the subscription, the first network element can also instruct the corresponding network element to delete the corresponding data according to the saved association relationship, so as to avoid the situation of data deletion error.

[0020] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending a registration request message to a data management network element, the registration request message requesting the registration of information contained in the registration request message to the data management network element, the registration request message including information indicating the association between the association information and the information of the second network element; and obtaining information indicating the association between the association information and the information of the second network element from the data management network element if the first user cancels authorization for the network to collect and / or use the first user's data. That is, the aforementioned association relationship can also be stored in the data management network element, thereby saving storage overhead on the first network element.

[0021] Optionally, the method further includes: upon receiving the first information, if the second network element has canceled its subscription to the corresponding data from the first network element, then sending data deletion scope information to the second network element. This data deletion scope information is used to indicate the scope of data to be deleted by the second network element, such as instructing the second network element to delete data obtained through a certain subscription to avoid data deletion errors. For example, the data deletion scope information includes at least one of the following: service operation, data or analysis specifications, or time information, where the time information indicates the time when the first network element collected the data.

[0022] In one possible design, the data for the first user is the location-related data of the first user.

[0023] Secondly, a communication method is provided, applied to a second communication device. For example, the second communication device may be a second network element, or a component within the second network element (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions, including but not limited to modem chips, baseband chips, system-on-a-chip (SoC) containing modem cores, or system-in-package (SoC) chips, etc.). Alternatively, the second communication device may also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the communication device functions. The following description uses the second communication device as a second network element as an example. The method includes: sending a data subscription request to a first network element and receiving first data corresponding to the data subscription request. The data subscription request instructs the second network element to subscribe to the corresponding data, and the first data includes user data. Then, receiving second information and deleting the second data according to the second information. The second information includes instruction information, which instructs the user to cancel authorization for the network to collect and / or use user data. The network includes the first network element and the second network element, and the second data is contained within the first data, including user data.

[0024] In one possible design, the first data is the second data.

[0025] In one possible design, deleting the second data based on the second information includes: deleting the data corresponding to the sample identifier in the first data based on the sample identifier included in the second information.

[0026] In one possible design, the aforementioned user is the first user. Deleting the second data based on the second information includes: deleting the first user's data from the first data based on the identifier of the first user included in the second information.

[0027] Optionally, the second information also includes purpose information, which indicates the purpose of data collection and / or use. Deleting the first user's data from the first data based on the first user's identifier included in the second information includes: deleting data from the first user's data that satisfies the purpose of data collection and / or use based on the first user's identifier.

[0028] Optionally, the method further includes: when receiving data of a first user corresponding to a data subscription request, receiving the identifier of the first user from a first network element, and associating the first user's data with the first user's identifier, so that when data needs to be deleted later, the first user's data can be deleted according to the first user's identifier to avoid data deletion errors. For example, receiving the identifier of the first user from the first network element includes: receiving the identifier of the first user from the first network element and a sample identifier corresponding to the first user's data. Thus, associating the first user's data with the first user's identifier as described above includes: associating the first user's data, the sample identifier, and the first user's identifier.

[0029] In one possible design, after sending a data subscription request to the first network element and before receiving the second information, the method further includes: sending an unsubscribe message to the first network element, the unsubscribe message instructing the second network element to unsubscribe from the corresponding data; thus, upon receiving the second information, the method further includes: receiving data deletion range information, the data deletion range information being used to indicate the range of data to be deleted by the second network element, and determining the second data to be deleted based on the data deletion range information.

[0030] Optionally, the data deletion scope information includes at least one of the following: service operation, data or analysis specifications, or time information, where the time information is used to indicate the time when the first network element collected the data.

[0031] In one possible design, before receiving the first information, the method further includes: saving at least a portion of the first data to a third network element. Upon receiving the second information, the method further includes: instructing the third network element, based on the second information, to delete at least a portion of the third data, including user data, to prevent the third network element from retaining the user's data after the user has revoked authorization.

[0032] In one possible design, receiving the second information includes: receiving second information from the first network element; or, receiving second information from the data management network element serving the user.

[0033] Optionally, the method further includes: subscribing to user authorization changes from the data management network element. Therefore, receiving second information from the data management network element serving the user includes: receiving second information returned by the data management network element based on the authorization changes. Subscribing to user authorization changes from the data management network element includes: if the first data includes a user's identifier, subscribing to the user's authorization changes from the data management network element based on the user's identifier. In other words, if the first network element provides data at the user level, the second network element can automatically subscribe to the user's authorization changes from the data management network element based on the obtained user's identifier. Correspondingly, if the user cancels authorization, the data management network element can directly notify the second network element. Compared to first notifying the first network element and then having the first network element instruct the second network element, this reduces signaling interaction and improves the efficiency of data deletion.

[0034] In one possible design, the data of the first user is the location-related data of the first user, the first network element is the positioning function network element, and the second network element is the data analysis function network element.

[0035] It should be understood that other related technical effects of the method described in the second aspect can also be referred to the relevant introduction of the method described in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0036] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, applied to a third communication device. For example, the third communication device may be a third network element, or a component within the third network element (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions, including but not limited to modem chips, baseband chips, system-on-a-chip (SoC) containing modem cores, or system-in-package (SoC) chips, etc.). Alternatively, the third communication device may also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a communication device. The following description uses the third communication device as an example of a third network element. The method includes: receiving third information, and in response to the third information, deleting third data. The third information is used to instruct a user to revoke authorization for the network to collect and / or use the user's data. The network includes a second network element and a third network element. The third data is data stored by the second network element in the third network element, and includes the user's data.

[0037] Therefore, if the user's data is previously stored by the second network element to the third network element, then if the user cancels the authorization, the network can notify the third network element to delete the user's data accordingly. In other words, the network can delete the user's data when the user cancels the authorization, so as to meet the user's requirements for using the user's data.

[0038] It should be understood that the third network element can be a network element used for storing data, such as a data storage network element.

[0039] In one possible design, receiving third information includes receiving third information from a data management network element that serves the user.

[0040] Optionally, the method further includes: subscribing to user authorization changes from the data management network element; receiving third information from the data management network element serving the user, including: receiving third information returned by the data management network element based on the authorization changes. For example, if the data saved by the second network element to the third network element includes the user's identifier, subscribing to user authorization changes from the data management network element includes: subscribing to user authorization changes from the data management network element based on the user's identifier.

[0041] In one possible design, the user's data is location-related data.

[0042] It should be understood that other related technical effects of the method described in the third aspect can also be referred to the relevant introduction of the method described in the second aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0043] Fourthly, a communication device is provided. This communication device is used to execute the communication method described in any implementation of any one of the first to third aspects.

[0044] In this application, the communication device described in the fourth aspect can be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the network device.

[0045] It should be understood that the communication apparatus described in the fourth aspect includes modules, units, or means that implement the communication methods described in any one of the first to third aspects. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units for performing the functions involved in the aforementioned communication methods.

[0046] Fifthly, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor configured to execute the communication method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects.

[0047] In one possible design, the communication device described in the fifth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the fifth aspect and other communication devices.

[0048] In one possible design, the communication device described in the fifth aspect may further include a memory. This memory may be integrated with the processor or disposed separately. The memory may be used to store computer programs and / or data relating to the communication method described in any of the first to third aspects.

[0049] In this application, the communication device described in the fifth aspect can be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the network device.

[0050] A sixth aspect provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor coupled to a memory, the processor executing a computer program stored in the memory, such that the communication device performs the communication method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects.

[0051] In one possible design, the communication device described in the sixth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the sixth aspect and other communication devices.

[0052] In this application, the communication device described in the sixth aspect can be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the network device.

[0053] A seventh aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory being used to store a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to perform the communication method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0054] In one possible design, the communication device described in the seventh aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the seventh aspect and other communication devices.

[0055] In this application, the communication device described in the seventh aspect can be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the network device.

[0056] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor being configured to be coupled to a memory, and after reading a computer program from the memory, to execute a communication method as described in any implementation of any one of the first to third aspects.

[0057] In one possible design, the communication device described in the eighth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the eighth aspect and other communication devices.

[0058] In this application, the communication device described in the eighth aspect can be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the network device.

[0059] Ninthly, a processor is provided. The processor is configured to execute the communication method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects.

[0060] A tenth aspect provides a communication system. The communication system includes at least one of the following: a first network element for performing the method described in the first aspect, a second network element for performing the method described in the second aspect, or a third network element for performing the method described in the third aspect.

[0061] Eleventhly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the communication method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects above to be performed.

[0062] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the communication method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects above to be performed.

[0063] Furthermore, the technical effects of the aforementioned communication devices and systems can be referenced from the technical effects of the aforementioned communication methods, and will not be elaborated further. Attached Figure Description

[0064] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the positioning architecture;

[0065] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the NWDAF's data collection process from the LMF;

[0066] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the LMF's data collection process for the UE.

[0067] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the LMF's data collection process for the UE;

[0068] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the NWDAF data storage process;

[0069] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the process of checking user authorization;

[0070] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figures 8-20 are schematic flowcharts of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0074] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as Wi-Fi wireless network systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, and future communication systems.

[0075] The technical terms and related technical solutions in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0076] 1. Traditional positioning:

[0077] Traditional wireless positioning algorithms suffer from poor accuracy in certain scenarios, failing to meet the demands of high-precision positioning. For example, traditional algorithms typically require measurement information from at least three paths to estimate location. However, in heavily non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments, it's nearly impossible to find at least three LOS paths simultaneously for location calculation. This can lead to stronger NLOS paths being mistakenly identified as line-of-sight (LOS) paths, while NLOS paths have weaker measurement signals, resulting in poor positioning accuracy for traditional algorithms. Similarly, in light / moderate NLOS environments, even with a sufficient number of LOS paths, misidentification can still occur, leading to poor positioning accuracy for traditional algorithms.

[0078] To address the poor accuracy of traditional positioning algorithms in NLOS environments, researchers proposed using artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) models for positioning in NLOS environments. The results show that using AI / ML models can achieve significantly higher positioning accuracy than traditional algorithms in NLOS environments. Training the AI / ML model requires channel measurement data as input and user equipment (UE) location as a label, also known as ground truth data.

[0079] 2. AI-based scene location:

[0080] The 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) standard currently discusses various AI / ML model localization scenarios. This application mainly considers the following AI / ML model scenarios located in the location management function (LMF).

[0081] As shown in Figure 1, for downlink positioning, the next-generation node B (gNB) sends a positioning reference signal (PRS) to the UE. The UE performs measurements to obtain PRS measurement data and sends this data to the LMF. The LMF then infers the UE's location estimate based on its local AI / ML model and the UE's measurement data. For uplink positioning, the UE sends a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the gNB. The gNB performs measurements to obtain SRS measurement data and sends this data to the LMF. The LMF then infers the UE's location estimate based on its local AI / ML model and the gNB's measurement data.

[0082] In positioning scenarios, AI / ML models can be divided into two categories based on their output type. One category is AI / ML assisted positioning, where the AI / ML model outputs intermediate positioning information, such as the path's LOS / NLOS probability or the path's time of arrival (TOA) estimate. The LMF uses this intermediate information to obtain the estimated UE location based on traditional positioning algorithms (such as time difference of arrival (TDOA)). The other category is direct AI / ML positioning, where the AI / ML model directly outputs the estimated UE location.

[0083] For ease of understanding, this application mainly targets scenarios where AI is used for direct localization. As shown in Figure 1, the AI / ML models on the LMF side all adopt the direct localization method using AI / ML models, and the output of the AI / ML model is the UE position.

[0084] To perform AI-based localization, the LMF (Local Model Filter) needs to use an AI / ML model. This model may be pre-configured on the LMF or obtained from elsewhere, such as from the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF). 5G networks introduce NWDAF, which includes two types: the Model Training Logical Function (MTLF) and the Analytics Logical Function (AnLF). The MTLF collects network data and trains AI / ML models based on this data, and can provide the trained model to the AnLF upon request. The AnLF can perform data statistics and inference, or perform model inference based on the AI / ML model, or derive corresponding analysis results based on requests from consumer entities, such as the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), or Policy Control Function (PCF), and then make these analysis results available to the consumer entities. NWDAF can contain MTLF, AnLF, or both. An NWDAF containing MTLF is denoted as NWDAF(MTLF), and an NWDAF containing AnLF is denoted as NWDAF(AnLF). Therefore, an AI / ML model for localization (referred to as a localization AI / ML model) can be trained from MTLF and then sent to LMF. LMF performs AI localization based on the localization AI / ML model and the collected measurement data.

[0085] Training a localization AI / ML model using MTLF requires collecting training data. This training data includes channel measurement data (such as channel impulse response (CIR) / channel power delay profile (PDP)) and corresponding labels (i.e., UE location). MTLF can use the channel measurement data as model input to calculate the model output and update the model parameters based on the error between the model output and the labels until the error is sufficiently small. Before training the localization AI / ML model, MTLF needs to collect channel measurement data and corresponding labels from LMF.

[0086] Figure 2 illustrates the process by which NWDAF collects channel measurement data and corresponding tags from the LMF.

[0087] S201, NWDAF(MTLF) determines that input data is collected from LMF.

[0088] For example, training a localization AI / ML model based on a request from the LMF or an internally triggered request, or performing a performance evaluation of the localization AI / ML model.

[0089] S202, NWDAF discovers LMF through NRF.

[0090] NWDAF provides NRF with an area of ​​interest (AoI) and requires discovered network elements to support the LMF data exposure service (Nlmf_DataExposure service). Correspondingly, the service area of ​​the discovered LMF needs to include the AoI and support the LMF data exposure service.

[0091] S203, NWDAF sends a data subscription request to LMF.

[0092] NWDAF can indicate the requested number of data samples in a data subscription request, with each set of samples containing a set of measurement data and a corresponding label. NWDAF can also indicate a quality threshold of labels, used to specify which labels must meet the quality threshold to be acquired; for example, in a positioning scenario, the quality threshold could be the accuracy of the positioning.

[0093] Optionally, in S203, if the NWDAF has previously sent a data subscription request to the LMF, the NWDAF may also send a data unsubscribe request to the LMF.

[0094] S204, LMF performs data collection based on existing processes.

[0095] The data collected by LMF includes channel measurement data and corresponding tags, as well as tag quality indicators. LMF can filter out tags that meet the quality threshold requirements based on the tag quality indicators and tag quality thresholds.

[0096] S205, LMF sends the collected data to NWDAF.

[0097] S206, NWDAF can further store the data collected by LMF into ADRF. When the relevant data is needed later, NWDAF can retrieve and obtain the data from ADRF.

[0098] It should be understood that in S204, the LMF will trigger the collection of measurement data and tags. The LMF can collect measurement data from the next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) and collect the corresponding tags from the UE, as shown in Figure 3; or, the LMF can also collect measurement data and tags from the UE, as shown in Figure 4.

[0099] As shown in Figure 3, the specific process is as follows:

[0100] S301, LMF determines the collection of AI positioning measurement data within the AoI.

[0101] For example, LMF triggers data collection based on local model training needs, or LMF triggers data collection based on NWDAF data subscription requests.

[0102] S302, the LMF finds the AMF serving the above AoI through the NRF.

[0103] S303, LMF obtains the UE list (such as the subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) list) within AoI through AMF.

[0104] S304, LMF obtains user consent information of UEs in the UE list through UDM.

[0105] For details on the mechanism for obtaining user authorization information, please refer to the process shown in Figure 6 below.

[0106] S305, LMF can send notifications of changes to user authorization information to UDM subscribers.

[0107] For example, when user authorization information changes, such as when the user no longer authorizes the network to collect and / or use its data, the UDM sends a change notification to the LMF to instruct the user to no longer authorize the network to collect and / or use its data.

[0108] It should be understood that steps S302-S305 are optional.

[0109] S306, For an authorized UE, the LMF collects the AI ​​positioning measurement data corresponding to that UE from the NG-RAN.

[0110] S307, for an authorized UE, the LMF obtains the tag from the UE. Alternatively, the LMF can obtain the PRU's location information as the tag based on information from the locally associated positioning reference unit (PRU), or the LMF can determine the tag itself based on collected AI positioning measurement data.

[0111] The label can be ground truth data, such as the location coordinates obtained by the UE through GPS or other traditional positioning methods, such as latitude and longitude.

[0112] As shown in Figure 4, the specific process is as follows:

[0113] S401, the LMF finds the AMF serving the above AoI through the NRF.

[0114] S402, LMF obtains the UE list within AoI through AMF.

[0115] S403, LMF obtains user authorization information of UEs in the UE list through UDM.

[0116] S404, LMF can send notifications of changes to user authorization information to UDM subscribers.

[0117] The details of S401-S404 are similar to those of S302-S305 above and will not be repeated here.

[0118] S405, for an authorized UE, the LMF collects the AI ​​positioning measurement data and tag corresponding to that UE from that UE.

[0119] 3. Data or analysis storage:

[0120] Currently, the network supports network elements such as NWDAF / data collection coordination function (DCCF) to store / retrieve / delete data or analysis results to the analytical data repository function (ADRF). The specific process is shown in Figure 5 below.

[0121] For S500a-S500c, NWDAF, DCCF, or ADRF can be configured with default carrier storage policies, such as the storage duration of data or analytics, and the conditions under which the default carrier storage policy overrides the storage handling information provided in data / analysis consumer requests.

[0122] It should be understood that S500a-S500c are optional.

[0123] S501, NWDAF / DCCF sends request messages, such as data management storage request messages, to ADRF by invoking the data management storage request (Nadrf_DataManagement_StorageRequest) service operation.

[0124] It should be understood that in the process shown in Figure 5, NWDAF / DCCF can be understood as a data or analytics consumer entity.

[0125] The request message may contain the following parameters:

[0126] 1) Data or analytics to be stored that has timestamp information.

[0127] 2) Service operation: Used to identify the service for obtaining or analyzing data, that is, to describe what kind of service the request message requests, such as the service is analytics subscription (Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Subscribe).

[0128] 3) Data or analytics specification: Parameters used to identify the stored data, which are further descriptions of the services mentioned above, such as analytics ID(s), the target of analytics reporting, or analytics filter information.

[0129] 4) Storage handling information: This indicates the duration of data or analysis storage and can also be used to instruct ADRF to send a notification to the consuming entity before deleting the data. Storage handling information is optional.

[0130] 5) Data deletion notification endpoint: This indicates which endpoint ADRF should notify before deleting data. The data deletion notification endpoint is optional.

[0131] 6) Dataset Tag: Used to identify a dataset and provide human-readable information describing its characteristics. For example, the data to be stored or the analysis described above could belong to the dataset identified by this dataset tag. The dataset tag is optional.

[0132] 7) Data Synthesis and Compression (DSC) Information: This indicates that the data was generated using a data synthesis / compression tool and specifies the data synthesis and / or compression techniques used. DSC information is optional.

[0133] S502a-S502c: ADRF, DCCF, or NWDAF determines the storage approach based on storage duration information and storage policy, i.e., the duration of data storage and whether to notify the consuming entity before data deletion.

[0134] It should be understood that S502a-S502c are optional.

[0135] S503, ADRF stores data and / or analysis sent by consumer entities.

[0136] ADRF can be based on the implementation of stored data and / or analytics. For example, ADRF can determine whether the same data and / or analytics have already been stored or are being stored based on information sent by the consumer entity in S501. If the data and / or analytics have already been stored or are being stored in ADRF, ADRF decides not to store the data and / or analytics sent by the consumer entity. If the data and / or analytics that have been stored or are being stored contain attributes of a dataset identifier, ADRF will associate the data and / or analytics with such dataset identifiers.

[0137] ADRF determines whether data or analysis has been stored and how it has been stored.

[0138] S504, ADRF sends a response message to the consumer.

[0139] The response message can be a Data Management Storage Response (Nadrf_DataManagement_StorageRequest) message, which indicates that data and / or analytics have been stored.

[0140] The response message may contain the following parameters:

[0141] 1) Result indication: Used to indicate whether storage was successful or failed.

[0142] 2) Storage transaction identifier: ADRF can treat storage performed by S503 as an event and indicate the event through the storage transaction identifier. The storage transaction identifier is optional.

[0143] 3) Dataset Identifier: Human-readable information used to identify the dataset and describe its characteristics. The dataset identifier is optional.

[0144] 4) Storage method: This indicates the duration for which data or analysis is stored, and can also instruct ADRF to send a notification to the consuming entity before deleting the data. The storage method is optional.

[0145] S505, ADRF determines the expiration date of stored data or analysis based on the storage method.

[0146] S506, if there is a corresponding indication in the storage method, ADRF sends a notification to remind DCCF or NWDAF data that it is about to be deleted.

[0147] S507, DCCF, or NWDAF specifies in the response to S506 whether data will be retrieved or analyzed.

[0148] S508, DCCF, or NWDAF requests the retrieval of data or analysis from ADRF before ADRF deletes or analyzes the data.

[0149] For example, a DCCF or NWDAF can send a data or analysis retrieval request to an ADRF. The ADRF can then return a data or analysis retrieval response. This data or analysis retrieval request may contain one of the following:

[0150] 1) Store event identifiers;

[0151] 2) Dataset identifier;

[0152] 3) Service operation, data or analysis specifications, and time windows. Time windows can be used to indicate the start and end times from which data or analysis was collected.

[0153] The data or analysis retrieval response may include the following parameters: result indication (to indicate whether the retrieval was successful), retrieved data or analysis (optional), and DSC information (optional).

[0154] It should be understood that steps S505-S508 are optional.

[0155] S509a-S509b, NWDAF or DCCF determines the expiration date of stored data or analysis based on the storage method.

[0156] S510, NWDAF, or DCCF retrieves data or analyses from ADRF before deleting data or analyses.

[0157] It should be understood that the specific implementation of S510 is similar to that of S508, and can be used for reference and understanding, so it will not be elaborated further.

[0158] S511, NWDAF, or DCCF requests the removal of data or analytics from ADRF.

[0159] For example, NWDAF or DCCF can send a data or analytics deletion request to ADRF. Similar to the data or analytics retrieval request described above, a data or analytics deletion request may also contain one of the following:

[0160] 1) Store event identifiers;

[0161] 2) Service operation, data or analysis specifications, and time windows;

[0162] 3) Dataset identification.

[0163] S512, ADRF deletes data or analysis.

[0164] ADRF will delete data or analytics in the following situations:

[0165] 1) The storage method in ADRF indicates that no notification is required to the consuming entity before data is deleted or analyzed;

[0166] 2) In S507, DCCF or NWDAF indicates that data or analysis will not be retrieved by DCCF or NWDAF before deletion;

[0167] 3) The data or analysis retrieval in S508 has been completed; or,

[0168] 4) A request to delete data or perform analysis is received in S511.

[0169] It should be understood that if the ADRF receives an instruction from the NWDAF or DCCF in S507 that the NWDAF or DCCF will retrieve data or analysis, but the NWDAF or DCCF does not initiate the retrieval before a sufficient fixed time has elapsed, the ADRF may also delete the data or analysis. Furthermore, S509a-S512 are also optional steps.

[0170] 4. Check user authorization:

[0171] Currently, before collecting UE data, the network needs to check the user authorization information. The UE's user authorization information is stored in the UDM and includes the following: a) the purpose of data collection, such as data analysis or model training; b) whether the user authorizes the collection and / or use of the user's data for a specific purpose.

[0172] As shown in Figure 6, the following section uses NWDAF collecting user data from other NFs as an example to illustrate the process of checking user authorization.

[0173] S601, NWDAF obtains the UE's user authorization information from UDM.

[0174] For example, before collecting UE data, the NWDAF retrieves the UE's user authorization information from the UDM through the Subscription Data Management Get (Nudm_SDM_Get) service operation. Specifically, the NWDAF can send a request message to the UDM through the Subscription Data Management Get service operation. The request message contains a subscription data type that is user consent information, i.e., subscription data type = user consent, which indicates that the retrieved UE subscription data is user consent information. The request message also contains a data key value that is the user's identifier, such as data key = SUPI, and a data subkey value that is the purpose, such as data subkey = purpose. The purpose indicates the purpose for which the NWDAF collects and / or uses the data, such as data analysis, model training, or model performance evaluation. The UDM retrieves the corresponding user authorization information based on the data key value and data subkey value. That is, for the network (or NWDAF) to collect and / or use data for a certain purpose, the user authorization information can indicate whether the user authorizes the network to collect and / or use the user's data. The UDM returns the retrieved user authorization information to the NWDAF. If the user does not authorize, or the UE does not authorize user consent, NWDAF will not collect data from the UE; otherwise, if the user authorizes, the process continues.

[0175] S602, NWDAF notifies UDM subscribers of changes in authorization.

[0176] For NWDAF subscription, the service operation is Subscribed Data Management Subscription (Nudm_SDM_Subscribe), which includes a subscription data type and a data key value. The subscription data type is user authorization information, and the data key value is the user's identifier, such as SUPI. Optionally, it also includes a data subkey value, which is the purpose, indicating that the subscription is requested for the user's authorization information for that purpose.

[0177] For UDM notifications, the service operation is a Subscription Data Management Notification (Nudm_SDM_Notification), which includes a subscription data type and a data key-value pair. The subscription data type is user authorization information, and the data key-value pair is the user's identifier, such as indicating that the user has revoked authorization. In other words, when a user's authorization changes, such as from authorization to revocation, the UDM will notify NWDAF, which will then send the changed user authorization information to the UDM.

[0178] S603, if the user authorizes, NWDAF triggers the subscription of the corresponding UE data (i.e., user data) to the corresponding NF.

[0179] For example, NWDAF can collect the UE's location data from AMF or the UE's session data from SMF.

[0180] S604, when user authorization changes, UDM sends a notification message to NWDAF.

[0181] For example, if a user previously authorized access but now no longer does so (i.e., the user cancels authorization), then the notification message containing the user's authorization information can instruct the user to cancel authorization.

[0182] S605, if in S604 UDM notifies NWDAF user to revoke authorization, then NWDAF cancels the subscription of the user's corresponding data.

[0183] S606, if a user revokes authorization, the NWDAF can unsubscribe from the UDM from notifications of changes in user authorization.

[0184] When a user no longer authorizes user consent, such as when the user cancels authorization, the network side should delete the data collected from that user. However, if the network element collecting the data is an LMF, the LMF usually subscribes to the UDM for notifications of changes in user authorization. When the user cancels authorization, the UDM also notifies the LMF. The NWDAF / ADRF is unaware that the user has canceled authorization, which may result in the NWDAF / ADRF being unable to delete the user's data in a timely manner.

[0185] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application proposes the following technical solutions. The technical solutions in this application will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0186] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0187] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being better or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "example" is intended to present the concept in a specific manner.

[0188] First, in this application, "for indicating" can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing "information" for indicating A, it can include whether the information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the information carries A.

[0189] The information indicated by a given piece of information is called the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or its index. It can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be indicated. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the indication of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to some extent. At the same time, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and indicated uniformly to reduce the indication overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

[0190] Furthermore, the specific indication method can also be any existing indication method, such as, but not limited to, the above-mentioned indication methods and their various combinations. Specific details of various indication methods can be found in existing technologies, and will not be repeated here. As described above, for example, when multiple pieces of information of the same type need to be indicated, the indication methods for different pieces of information may differ. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. This application embodiment does not limit the selected indication method; therefore, the indication methods involved in this application embodiment should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0191] Second, in the embodiments shown below, the first, second, and various numerical designations are merely distinctions for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, to distinguish different indication information.

[0192] Third, "pre-set," "predefined," or "pre-configured" can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables, or other means of indicating relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices), or by pre-defining them in a protocol. This application does not limit the specific implementation method. "Saving" can refer to saving in one or more memories. These memories can be separate installations or integrated into the encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memories can be separately installed, while others are integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0193] Fourth, the “protocol” involved in the embodiments of this application may refer to standard protocols in the field of communication, such as 3GPP’s LTE protocols (such as technical specification (TS) 36, i.e., the TS36 series of technical specifications), NR protocols (such as the TS38 series of technical specifications), and related protocols applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit this.

[0194] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0195] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail first using the communication system shown in FIG7 as an example. Exemplarily, FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable.

[0196] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system. This communication system is mainly used in the network, which may include a first communication device, a second communication device, and a third communication device.

[0197] The network can be a communication network, such as a mobile communication network, a public land mobile network (PLMN), or an operator network, or it can be a private network or a subnet, such as a distributed subnetwork (DSN). In future communication systems, the network can also be replaced with other terms without specific restrictions.

[0198] The first communication device can be a first network element, or it can be a component of the first network element (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions, including but not limited to modem chips, baseband chips, system-on-chip (SoC) chips containing modem cores, or system-in-package (SIP) chips, etc.). Alternatively, the first communication device can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the communication device functions. The following explanation uses the first communication device as an example of a first network element. The first network element can be a network element used to provide user data. Depending on the application scenario of the user data, the first network element can be different network elements. For example, in a positioning scenario, the first network element can be a positioning network element, such as the aforementioned LMF or any other network element capable of positioning functions, used to provide user location data and / or location measurement data, etc. Alternatively, in a session management scenario, the first network element can be a session management function network element, such as the aforementioned SMF or any other network element capable of session management functions, used to provide user session data. Alternatively, in a mobility management scenario, the first network element can be an access and mobility management function network element, such as the aforementioned AMF or any other network element capable of implementing access and mobility management functions, to provide users with mobility-related data.

[0199] It should be understood that the above scenarios are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which user data is applied. Any data collected from users / terminals via the network is applicable to this application.

[0200] The second communication device can be a second network element, or it can be a component of the second network element (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions, including but not limited to modem chips, baseband chips, system-on-a-chip (SoC) containing modem cores, or system-in-package (SoC) chips, etc.). Alternatively, the second communication device can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the communication device functions. The following explanation uses the second communication device as an example of a second network element. The second network element can be a network element used for data processing, such as a data processing network element used for data analysis, data addition / deletion / modification, data storage, or data forwarding, etc. It can be the aforementioned NWDAF or any other network element capable of implementing data processing functions; the specific naming is not limited.

[0201] The third communication device can be a third network element, or it can be a component within a third network element (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions, including but not limited to modem chips, baseband chips, system-on-a-chip (SoC) containing modem cores, or system-in-package (SoC) chips, etc.). Alternatively, the third communication device can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the communication device functions. The following explanation uses the third communication device as an example of a third network element. The third network element can be a network element used for data storage, such as a data storage network element, such as the aforementioned ADRF or any other network element capable of implementing data storage functions; specific naming is not limited.

[0202] In this communication system, if the first network element responds to the subscription of the second network element in advance and provides the second network element with corresponding data, including user data, then if the first network element learns that the user has revoked authorization (e.g., the user has revoked authorization for the network to collect and / or use the user's data), the first network element can instruct the second network element to delete the user's data. And / or, if the user's data was previously stored by the second network element on a third network element, then in the event of user revocation, the network can also notify the third network element to delete the corresponding user's data. In other words, the network can delete the user's data in the event of user revocation to satisfy the user's requirement for using the user's data.

[0203] It should be understood that the communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the network / entity / function shown in Figure 7. Specific implementations can be found in the following method embodiments, which will not be repeated here. The solutions in this application embodiment can also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names can be replaced with the names of the corresponding functions in other communication systems.

[0204] It should also be understood that Figure 7 is a simplified schematic diagram for ease of understanding only, and the communication system may also include other network devices and / or other terminal devices, which are not shown in Figure 7.

[0205] The interaction process between the devices and network elements in the above-mentioned communication system will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 8-20 through method embodiments.

[0206] As shown in Figure 8, this communication method mainly involves the interaction between the first network element and the second network element in the aforementioned communication system. For example, if a user revokes authorization, the first network element instructs the second network element to delete the user's data. The flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0207] S801, the second network element sends a data subscription request to the first network element, and the first network element receives the data subscription request from the second network element.

[0208] A data subscription request can be a DataExposure_Subscribe message or any other message that may be named, used to instruct the second network element to request to subscribe to the corresponding data.

[0209] For example, a data subscription request may include notification of the target address and information indicating the data.

[0210] The notification target address can be used as the target address for data notification. For example, the notification target can be a second network element, and the notification target address can include information about the second network element, such as its identifier and / or address, or its port number, without specific limitations. The information indicating the data can be a specific description of the data that the second network element requests to subscribe to. For example, the information indicating the data can include regional information, such as AoI information, to indicate which region the second network element expects to obtain data from. Optionally, the information indicating the data can include the sample quantity and a quality threshold. The specific implementation is similar to S203 above and can be understood by referring to it; it will not be repeated here.

[0211] Optionally, the data subscription request may also include purpose information to indicate the purpose for which the second network element collects and / or uses the data. For example, the purpose may be model training, such as training a localization AI / ML model, and / or data analysis, such as session management analysis. The session may be a protocol data unit (PDU) session or any other possible session, without limitation.

[0212] It should be understood that the term "user" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can also be replaced with "terminal," without any specific limitation. Furthermore, the data subscription request is an exemplary message naming convention and is not intended to be limiting; any message used to implement the data subscription function is applicable.

[0213] It should also be understood that the embodiments of this application do not limit the conditions under which the second network element initiates data subscription. For example, data subscription may be initiated at any possible time according to local policies, or it may be initiated according to the instructions of other network elements.

[0214] S802, in response to the data subscription request, sends the first data to the second network element, and the second network element receives the first data corresponding to the data subscription request.

[0215] The first data can include user data, such as the individual data of multiple users. Here, multiple users can include the first user; that is, the first data includes the first user's data. For ease of understanding, the following explanation will primarily use the first user as an example.

[0216] The first user's data may include at least one data sample. For example, for model training, such as training a localization AI / ML model, the first user's data may include location-related data of the user at different locations, i.e., location-related data. The AI ​​localization measurement data, labels, and label quality for each location can serve as a data sample. As another example, for data analysis, such as session management analysis, the first user's data may include the identifiers and quality of service (QoS) information for one or more of the user's sessions, i.e., session-related data. The identifier and QoS information for each session can serve as a data sample. At least one data sample may be indicated by a corresponding sample identifier, which can also be understood as the sample identifier corresponding to the first user's data. For example, the first user's data includes data sample #1 and data sample #2, where data sample #1 is indicated by sample identifier #1, and data sample #2 is indicated by sample identifier #2, or both data sample #1 and data sample #2 are indicated by a single sample identifier; there is no specific limitation.

[0217] The following describes how the first network element obtains the data of the first user.

[0218] The first network element can respond to a data subscription request, identify the first authorized user, and obtain the first user's data.

[0219] For example, the first network element can obtain users located within the AoI from the access and mobility management network element based on the AoI information in the data subscription request, and obtain user authorization information from the subscription data of these users from the data management network element. Based on the user authorization information, it can determine multiple authorized users, i.e., multiple users whose data the network collects and / or uses for certain purposes. As described in the relevant section of S802 above, these purposes could be model training and / or data analysis, etc. It should be understood that the "purpose or certain purposes" mentioned below can also be interpreted similarly. Taking the first user as an example, if the first user authorizes the network to collect the first user's data for model training or data analysis, the specific implementation is similar to S301-S305 and S601-S603 above, which can be referred to for understanding and will not be repeated here.

[0220] It should be understood that the data management network element can be a UDM or other network element capable of performing data management functions, without specific restrictions.

[0221] When the first user is an authorized user, the first network element can obtain the first user's data from the corresponding network element / device and / or the first user's terminal. For example, for data analysis, such as session management analysis, the first network element can obtain the session identifier and the corresponding QoS information from the session management network element serving the first user and / or the first user's terminal. The session management network element can be an SMF or any network element capable of implementing session management functions, without specific restrictions. As another example, for model training, such as training a localization AI / ML model, the first network element can obtain the first user's AI localization measurement data, tags, and tag quality information from the access network device serving the first user and / or the first user's terminal. The specific implementation is similar to Figure 3 or Figure 4 above, which can be referenced for understanding and will not be elaborated further here.

[0222] The first network element can respond to a data subscription request and send the first user's data to the second network element. At this time, the first network element can provide the first user's data at different granularities, which will be described in detail below.

[0223] Case 1: Subscription granularity.

[0224] The first network element can respond to a data subscription request and send the first user's data to the second network element.

[0225] For example, the first network element can identify the data of the first user as at least one data sample, that is, the data sample corresponding to the data of the first user. Then, the first network element can send at least one data sample to the second network element. In this case, since the first network element does not send a sample identifier to the second network element to indicate the data sample, nor does it send the identifier of the first user, the second network element may not be able to determine which sample or user the received data belongs to, and assumes that it is all data obtained through subscription, thus it is subscription-granular data collection.

[0226] Case 2: Sample granularity.

[0227] The first network element can respond to a data subscription request by sending the data corresponding to the sample identifier to the second network element.

[0228] For example, a first network element can identify the data of a first user as at least one data sample and determine a sample identifier to indicate the at least one data sample. Then, the first network element can send the sample identifier and the at least one data sample to a second network element. In this case, the sample identifier and the at least one data sample can be carried in the same message or information element to indicate that the at least one data sample is indicated by the sample identifier. It should be understood that the data sample indicated by the sample identifier can also be understood as the data corresponding to the sample identifier. In this situation, since the first network element sends the sample identifier to the second network element to indicate the data sample, but does not send the user's identifier, the second network element can determine which sample the received data belongs to, but may not be able to determine which user the received data belongs to; therefore, this is sample-level data collection.

[0229] It should be understood that when the first network element sends the data corresponding to the sample identifier to the second network element in response to the data subscription request, the first network element can also associate the identifier of the first user with the sample identifier corresponding to the data of the first user. For example, the identifier of the first user is associated with one or more sample identifiers, that is, an association relationship is established between the identifier of the first user and the sample identifier used to identify the above-mentioned at least one data sample.

[0230] Scenario 3: User granularity.

[0231] In response to a data subscription request, the first network element may send the first user's data to the second network element, along with the first user's identifier. In this case, the first user's data and identifier can be carried in the same message or information element to indicate that the data belongs to the first user, thus enabling data provision and / or usage at the user level. It should be understood that in this scenario, the first user's data can also be sent in the form of data samples. Specifically, the first network element sending the first user's data to the second network element involves sending at least one of the aforementioned data samples, along with the first user's identifier and the corresponding sample identifier. It should be understood that in this case, since the first network element also sends the identifier of the user corresponding to the data when sending it to the second network element, the second network element can determine which user the received data belongs to, thus achieving user-level data collection.

[0232] It can be seen that when the first network element provides data to the second network element in response to the second network element's subscription, if the first network element provides data but does not provide the corresponding identifier, such as a sample identifier or a user identifier, it can be considered that the data is provided at the subscription granularity. If the first network element not only provides data but also provides the corresponding sample identifier, it can be considered that the data is provided at the sample granularity. If the first network element not only provides data but also provides the corresponding user identifier, it can be considered that the data is provided at the user granularity.

[0233] Since the first user is an authorized user, the first network element can also subscribe to the data management network element for changes in the first user's authorization, or in other words, subscribe to notifications of changes in the first user's authorization.

[0234] For example, a first network element can send a service subscription request to a data management network element. This service subscription request can instruct the first network element to subscribe to authorization changes of a first user. The service subscription request can be a data management subscription request (Nudm_SDM_Subscribe) or any other message that can be named, without specific limitations. The service subscription request can include the first user's identifier, which can be used as a data key to indicate that the object being subscribed to is the first user, i.e., the subscription is for the first user's authorization changes. The service subscription request can also include a notification correlation identifier (notifyCorrelationId) to identify the first network element's subscription to the first user's authorization changes. In other words, since the first network element may initiate more than one subscription to the data management network element, this notification correlation identifier can be used to indicate a specific subscription at the subscription granularity.

[0235] The first network element can also associate the authorization changes of the first user subscribed to with the subscription initiated by the second network element. This allows the first network element to notify the second network element to delete the first user's data if the first user subsequently cancels the authorization. For example, when the first network element sends the first user's data to the second network element in response to a data subscription request, the first network element can associate the association information corresponding to the first user with the information of the second network element, that is, establish an association relationship between the association information and the information of the second network element. This association information may include the first user's identifier and / or a notification association identifier.

[0236] One possible approach is for the first network element to store the association relationship between the associated information and the information of the second network element locally. Alternatively, the first network element can also store this association relationship with the data management network element to save storage overhead. For example, the first network element can send a registration request message to the data management network element. This registration request message can be a UE context management registration request message (UECM_Registration Request) or any other message with a possible name, without specific limitations. This registration request message can be used to request the registration of the information contained in the registration request message to the data management network element, such as information indicating the association between the associated information and the information of the second network element. The data management network element can store the association relationship between the associated information and the information of the second network element and return a response to the first network element to indicate whether the registration was successful or failed.

[0237] FirstNetElement can perform similar operations to the first user on multiple authorized users.

[0238] Therefore, the second network element can receive data from multiple users, i.e., the first data. For example, the second network element can receive data subscription notifications from the first network element. These notifications can be DataExposure_Notify messages or any other message that can be named, including data from at least one of the multiple users. Data from multiple users can be carried through a single data subscription notification or multiple data subscription notifications, without specific limitations.

[0239] The second network element can store the first data locally. If the first data includes a user's identifier, the second network element can associate and store the user's identifier with the user's data. Taking the first user as an example, when the second network element receives the data corresponding to the first user's data subscription request, it receives the first user's identifier from the first network element and associates and stores the first user's data with the first user's identifier. If the second network element receives the first user's identifier and a sample identifier corresponding to the first user's data from the first network element, the second network element can also associate and store the first user's data, sample identifier, and first user's identifier together. This is so that when data needs to be deleted later, the first user's data can be deleted according to the first user's identifier, thus avoiding data deletion errors.

[0240] Optionally, the second network element can also save at least a portion of the data in the first data to the third network element. For example, in the case of subscription granularity, the second network element can save the at least a portion of the data to the third network element, that is, without providing the corresponding sample identifier and user identifier to the third network element. In the case of sample granularity, the first data includes a sample identifier, and the second network element can associate and save the at least a portion of the data together with the sample identifier corresponding to the at least a portion of the data to the third network element. In the case of user granularity, the first data includes a user identifier, and the second network element also needs to associate and save the user identifier together with the user's data to the third network element, such as the third network element associating and saving the user's identifier as a data key with the user's data. In addition, when saving the at least a portion of the data to the third network element, the second network element can also replace the analysis identifier provided to the third network element with an indication suitable for the purpose, such as an indication based on AI / ML model positioning (LMF-based AI / ML positioning indication) or an indication used for data analysis, such as a session management analysis indication. It should be understood that the specific implementation of the second network element saving data to the third network element is similar to that of S500a-S500c to S503 mentioned above, and can be understood by reference, and will not be repeated here.

[0241] It should also be understood that the above example of the first network element providing the first data to the second network element is not a limitation. For example, after receiving a data subscription request, the first network element may instruct other network elements to collect data and send the collected data to the second network element. Alternatively, the first network element may send the data obtained by the first network element to other network elements first, and then send the data to the second network element.

[0242] Optionally, the second network element can also instruct the first network element to cancel the subscription.

[0243] For example, if the second network element determines that it has collected a sufficient amount of first data, such as the number of data samples of the first data reaching the number required by the second network element, the second network element can send an unsubscribe message to the first network element. This unsubscribe message can be a DataExposure_UnSubscribe message or any other message that can be named, without specific restrictions, to instruct the second network element to unsubscribe from the corresponding data. Correspondingly, upon receiving the unsubscribe message from the second network element, the first network element can save the aforementioned association information with the information of the second network element. For example, if the association information with the information of the second network element is stored locally on the first network element, the first network element can continue to save the association information locally. This allows the first network element to instruct the second network element to delete the corresponding data based on this association if the authorization of the first user changes after the second network element unsubscribes, such as canceling the user's authorization, thus avoiding data deletion errors. Please refer to the following description for details. In addition, when the first network element receives an unsubscribe message from the second network element, the first network element can also set a timer. If the authorization of the first user does not change after the timer expires, such as not canceling the authorization, the first network element can release the association between the associated information and the information of the second network element.

[0244] It should also be understood that S801-S802 can be executed multiple times, meaning the second network element can subscribe to user data from the first network element multiple times. The most recent subscription can be referred to as the current subscription, while previous subscriptions can be referred to as historical subscriptions. In other words, the first data can also be data obtained through multiple subscriptions. Furthermore, in S801-S802, the first user is an authorized user, meaning the network is authorized to collect and / or use the first user's data. However, in S803-S805, the first user revokes the authorization.

[0245] S803, the first network element receives the first information.

[0246] The first message is used to instruct the first user to revoke (user consent revocation / user consent is revoked). Specifically, it can be that the first user revokes the network's collection and / or use of the first user's data, or that the first user revokes the network's collection and / or use of the first user's data for some purpose, such as the first user revokes the network's collection of user data for model training, or the first user revokes the network's collection of user data for data analysis.

[0247] For example, the first information may include the aforementioned associated information and user authorization information. The user authorization information may be 1 bit information, where 1 indicates user authorization and 0 indicates user cancellation of authorization. In this case, the value of the user authorization information may be 0, which is used in conjunction with the associated information to instruct the first user to cancel the network collection and / or use of the first user's data.

[0248] The first information can be obtained by the first network element through the aforementioned changes in the authorization of the first user who subscribed.

[0249] For example, upon receiving the aforementioned service subscription request, the data management network element can determine whether the first user's authorization has changed. If the first user's authorization has changed, such as from authorization to deauthorization, the data management network element can respond to the service subscription request by returning a notification of the first user's authorization change, such as the first information, to the first network element. At this time, the associated information contained in the service subscription request is also carried in the first information. Correspondingly, the first network element can receive the first information containing the associated information returned by the data management network element. Based on the fact that the received associated information is the same as the associated information sent when subscribing to the first user's authorization change, the first network element can determine that the data management network element's return is for the first user's authorization change, and thus further determine that the first user has deauthorized, i.e., deauthorized the network from collecting and / or using the first user's data. Thus, the first network element can, based on the fact that the data management network element also returns associated information when returning the notification of the user's authorization change, trigger the first network element to instruct the second network element to delete the corresponding data based on the obtained associated information, i.e., execute S804.

[0250] S804: The first network element sends the second information to the second network element based on the first information, and the second network element receives the second information.

[0251] The second information includes instruction information, such as the first instruction information. The first instruction information is used to instruct the deletion of the second data, which is contained within the first data and includes the data of the first user. It should be understood that since the first network element can provide data at different granularities, the deleted second data can also be data at different granularities. The various granularities mentioned above will be described below.

[0252] Regarding scenario 1 in S802:

[0253] The second data is the data that the second network element subscribed to in advance, which is the first data mentioned above.

[0254] For example, if the first network element provides data at a subscription granularity—meaning it doesn't send the corresponding sample identifier and user identifier when sending data to the second network element—then, since the second network element cannot distinguish which samples or users the acquired data belongs to, the first network element, upon receiving the first instruction, needs to instruct the second network element to delete the subscribed data. That is, the first instruction can direct the deletion of all data subscribed to by the second network element from the first network element, including current and historical subscriptions. In other words, in this situation, even if only one user revokes authorization, because the second network element cannot distinguish which data belongs to that user, the first network element needs to notify the second network element to delete all previously subscribed data to ensure that the user's data is also deleted, avoiding any omissions of that user's data.

[0255] Regarding scenario 2 in S802:

[0256] The second information also includes a sample identifier, and the second data is the data corresponding to that sample identifier in the first data.

[0257] For example, if the first network element provides data at the sample granularity—that is, when the first network element sends data to the second network element, it also sends the corresponding sample identifier—then upon receiving the first information, the first network element can determine the sample identifier associated with the first user's identifier, i.e., determine which data samples correspond to the first user's data, obtain the sample identifier corresponding to the first user's data, and include it in the second information. This information, combined with the first instruction information, instructs the deletion of the data corresponding to the sample identifier in the first data. In other words, if the first network element establishes an association between sample identifiers and users beforehand, then when the first user revokes authorization, the first network element can determine which data samples the first user is associated with and precisely delete the first user's data by instructing the corresponding sample identifier, thus preventing the second network element from deleting other irrelevant data.

[0258] Regarding scenario 3 in S802:

[0259] The second information also includes the identifier of the first user, and the second data is the data of the first user in the first data.

[0260] For example, if the first network element provides data at the user level, that is, when the first network element sends data to the second network element, it also sends the identifier of the user corresponding to the data, then upon receiving the first information, the first network element can also carry the identifier of the first user in the second information to instruct the second network element to delete the data of the first user, so as to avoid the second network element deleting other irrelevant data as well, and the data deletion can be more accurate.

[0261] Optionally, in case 3, the second information also includes purpose information, which can be provided by the second network element in S801 or determined by the first network element itself, to indicate the purpose of data collection and / or use. In this case, the purpose information can be jointly used with the identifier of the first user to indicate the second data. If the second data is data from the first user's data that satisfies the purpose of data collection and / or use, that is, if the authorization revoked by the user is for the purpose indicated by the purpose information, the network can delete only the user's data collected and / or used for this purpose to achieve more accurate data deletion.

[0262] Optionally, the first instruction information indicating the deletion of the second data can also be used to implicitly instruct the user to revoke authorization, i.e., to revoke authorization for the network to collect and / or use the user's data. Alternatively, the second information can also include an additional instruction, such as denoted as the second instruction information, to indicate the reason for deleting the first data, such as the user revoking authorization for the network to collect and / or use the user's data, so that the second network element can know the reason for deleting the data. Of course, the first instruction information can also be used to directly instruct the user to revoke authorization. In this case, the second information may not include the second instruction information.

[0263] The above describes the second information in detail. The following describes how the first network element sends the second information to the second network element.

[0264] The first network element can first determine the information of the second network element associated with the associated information based on the first information.

[0265] For example, as described above, if the first network element stores the association relationship between the associated information and the information of the second network element locally, then the first network element can determine the information of the second network element associated with the associated information based on the association information carried by the first information. If the first network element stores the association relationship between the associated information and the information of the second network element in the data management network element, then when the first network element receives the first information, or in other words, when the first user cancels the authorization for the network to collect and / or use the first user's data, the first network element can obtain information indicating the association between the associated information and the information of the second network element from the data management network element. For example, the first network element can send a get request message to the data management network element in response to the first user canceling the authorization for the network to collect and / or use the first user's data. This get request message can be a UE context management get request message (UECM_Get Request) or any other message that may be named, without specific limitations. This get request message can be used to request the data management network element to provide information that the first network element has registered in advance, such as the aforementioned associated information, such as the first user's identifier and / or notification association identifier. The data management network element can then obtain the pre-saved association information indicating the association between the received association information and the information of the second network element, and then return this information to the first network element. In this way, the first network element can determine the information of the second network element associated with the association information from the information returned by the data management network element, based on the association information carried in the first information.

[0266] In this way, the first network element can send a second message to the second network element based on the information from the second network element. For example, the first network element can send the second message to the second network element through a notification service operation (such as the DataExposure_Notify service operation). In this case, the second message can be carried in the DataExposure_Notify message. Correspondingly, the second network element can receive the second message from the first network element. In other words, since the first network element establishes an association between the authorization change of the subscribed user and the second network element when responding to the subscription of user data, if the user cancels the authorization, the first network element can know which network element to instruct to delete the user's data based on the association, thus avoiding data deletion errors.

[0267] It should be understood that the first user cancels authorization before the second network element cancels its subscription to the corresponding data from the first network element. At this time, the second network element knows that it has already subscribed to the corresponding data from the first network element and the subscription has not yet been canceled. Therefore, when the first network element sends the second message, it can implicitly or explicitly instruct the second network element to delete the data already obtained through the subscription. For example, since the first network element can send the second message to the second network element through a notification service operation, and this notification service operation corresponds to the second network element's previous subscription service operation, the first instruction information in the second message can implicitly indicate that the scope of data to be deleted is the relevant data of this subscription, or the first instruction information can also explicitly indicate that the scope of data to be deleted is the relevant data of this subscription. In this way, the second network element can delete the data obtained through the subscription that has not yet ended. However, if the first user cancels authorization after the second network element cancels its subscription to the corresponding data from the first network element, the first network element also needs to additionally instruct the second network element on the data subscription information requested in advance, that is, to indicate the scope of data that the second network element needs to delete, which will be explained in detail below.

[0268] For example, upon receiving the first information, if the second network element has already canceled its subscription to the corresponding data from the first network element, the first network element can still send data deletion scope information to the second network element. This data deletion scope information can be used to indicate the scope of data to be deleted by the second network element, such as instructing the second network element to delete some or all of the data acquired through a certain subscription, thus avoiding data deletion errors. For example, the data deletion scope information includes at least one of the following: service operation, data or analysis specification, or time information. Service operation can indicate the operation of subscribing to data through a specific service operation; data or analysis specification can be a further description of the service operation, and the specific implementation can be referred to the relevant description in S501 above, which will not be repeated here. The time information can be used to indicate the time corresponding to the data collected by the first network element, or the time when the first network element sends data to the second network element, including start and end times.

[0269] The data deletion scope information can also be pre-stored by the first network element. For example, when the first network element associates and saves the information of the second network element with the association information locally, it can also associate and save the data deletion scope information locally, such as establishing an association relationship between the association information, the information of the second network element, and the data deletion scope information locally. Alternatively, when the first network element associates and saves the information of the second network element with the association information to the data management network element, it can also associate and save the data deletion scope information to the data management network element, such as sending an instruction to the data management network element to associate the association information, the information of the second network element, and the data deletion scope information. In this way, when the data management network element provides the association information and the information of the second network element to the first network element, it can also provide the data deletion scope information. The second network element can not only obtain the information of the second network element through the association relationship, but also obtain the data deletion scope information, and thus send the data deletion scope information to the second network element.

[0270] It should be understood that data deletion scope information can be carried in the second information and transmitted together with other information to reduce signaling interaction, or it can be sent separately to the second network element, decoupled from the transmission of other information, allowing for more flexible information transmission. Of course, the above-mentioned transmission of data deletion scope information is only a few examples. For instance, even if the first user cancels authorization before the second network element cancels its subscription to the corresponding data from the first network element, the first network element can still send data deletion scope information to the second network element.

[0271] It should also be understood that if the first network element does not store the association relationship between the above-mentioned association information and the information of the second network element, or does not register the association relationship with the data management network element, then the first network element can also send the second information to all the second network elements (or the second network elements that can communicate with the first network element).

[0272] S805, the second network element deletes the second data based on the second information.

[0273] It should be understood that since the granularity of the data deleted by the second network element can be different, the second data to be deleted can also be data of different granularities. The following will introduce this in conjunction with the above situations 1-3.

[0274] Regarding scenario 1 in S802:

[0275] The second network element can delete all the data obtained by subscribing to the first network element locally based on the second information, that is, delete the first data, including the data of the first user.

[0276] Regarding scenario 2 in S802:

[0277] The second network element can delete the data corresponding to the sample identifier in the first data based on the sample identifier included in the second information. That is, the second network element deletes the data sample indicated by the sample identifier in the data obtained by subscribing to the first network element locally. For example, it can be at least one data sample corresponding to the data of the first user.

[0278] Regarding scenario 3 in S802:

[0279] The second network element can delete the first user's data from the first data based on the first user's identifier included in the second information. For example, the second network element can retrieve the data associated with the first user's identifier from locally stored data, i.e., the first user's data, based on the received first user's identifier, and then delete the first user's data. Optionally, if the second information also includes purpose information, the second network element can delete the first user's data locally by: deleting data from the first user's data that satisfies the purpose of data collection and / or use, such as deleting data used for model training. In this case, it is not limited to deleting data obtained from the current subscription for that purpose; data obtained from historical subscriptions for that purpose can also be deleted.

[0280] Optionally, in conjunction with situations 1-3 above, if the second network element also receives data deletion range information, it can refer to this information when determining which data needs to be deleted. For example, based on the data deletion range information, it can determine the second data to be deleted. In this case, the second data could be data obtained by the second network element through a certain subscription, data corresponding to a sample identifier within that data, or data of the first user within that data. If the data deletion range information also includes time information, the data can also be data within a time window, meaning the timestamp corresponding to the data is within that time window. This time window can be the time window formed by the start and end times indicated by the aforementioned time information. The timestamp corresponding to the data can be understood as the time of the data itself, such as the time when the data was generated.

[0281] Optionally, if the second network element has previously saved at least a portion of the first data to the third network element, the second network element can also instruct the third network element to delete the third data based on the second information. In this case, since the granularity of the data deleted by the second network element can be different, the deleted third data can also be data of different granularities. This will be further explained below in conjunction with the above situations 1-3.

[0282] Regarding scenario 1 in S802:

[0283] The third data can be data that the second network element obtains from the first network element through subscription and saves to the third network element. For example, the second network element can determine which data it obtains from the first network element through subscription and saves to the third network element, thereby instructing the third network element to delete all of this data. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant introduction in Figure 5 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0284] Regarding scenario 2 in S802:

[0285] The third data can be the data corresponding to the sample identifier. For example, the second network element can determine whether the data corresponding to the sample identifier in the data it obtains from the first network element through subscription has been saved to the third network element. This sample identifier is the sample identifier corresponding to the data of the first user. If the data corresponding to the sample identifier is saved to the third network element, the second network element can instruct the third network element to delete the data corresponding to the sample identifier. The specific implementation is similar to the process shown in Figure 5 above, which can be referred to for understanding. The difference is that the second network element also sends the sample identifier to the third network element so that the third network element can delete the data corresponding to the sample identifier.

[0286] Regarding scenario 3 in S802:

[0287] The third data could be the data of the first user. For example, the second network element can determine whether the first user's data has been saved to the third network element from the data it obtains from the first network element through subscription. If the first user's data has been saved to the third network element, the second network element can instruct the third network element to delete the first user's data. The specific implementation is similar to the process shown in Figure 5 above, which can be understood by referring to it. The difference is that the second network element also sends a data key value to the third network element, which can be the identifier of the first user, so that the third network element can delete the data corresponding to the data key value, that is, delete the first user's data.

[0288] This avoids situations where a third-party network element retains a user's data even after the user has revoked authorization.

[0289] It should be understood that the above is an example of the first user canceling authorization, but it is not a limitation. It also applies to canceling authorization for multiple users. In this case, the identifier of the first user can be replaced with the identifier of multiple users, such as the SUPI list.

[0290] It should also be understood that the above is an example of the first network element instructing the second network element to delete data, but it is not a limitation. In some schemes, the second network element can also receive second information from the data management network element serving the user.

[0291] For example, the second network element can also subscribe to user authorization changes from the data management network element. For instance, if the first data includes the user's identifier (i.e., the first network element provides data at the user level), the second network element can subscribe to user authorization changes from the data management network element serving that user based on the user's identifier. The specific subscription method is similar to that of the first network element described above and can be understood by referring to it; it will not be repeated here. Alternatively, when the first network element subscribes to user authorization changes from the data management network element, the notification target address can also include the address of the second network element, that is, informing the data management network element that it also needs to notify the second network element when the user's authorization changes. Thus, the second network element can receive second information returned by the data management network element based on the authorization changes. In this case, the second information is similar to the first information, used to instruct the user to revoke authorization for the network to collect and / or use the user's data for some / some purposes. In response to the second information, the second network element can delete the user's data. The specific deletion method is similar to that in case 3 above and can be understood by referring to it; it will not be repeated here.

[0292] It can be seen that if the first network element provides data at the user level, the second network element can subscribe to the user's authorization changes from the data management network element based on the user's identifier. If the user cancels the authorization, the data management network element can also directly notify the second network element. Compared to notifying the first network element first and then having the first network element instruct the second network element, this can reduce signaling interaction and improve the efficiency of data deletion.

[0293] In summary, if the first network element responds to the second network element's subscription in advance and provides the second network element with corresponding data, such as first data, which includes the first user's data, then if the first user cancels authorization, the first network element can instruct the second network element to delete the relevant data containing the first user's data in the first data, such as second data. That is, the network can delete the first user's data accordingly when the first user cancels authorization, so as to meet the user's requirements for using user data.

[0294] The overall flow of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figure 8. The flow of executing the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application in a specific scenario is described in detail below with reference to Figures 9-17.

[0295] Figure 9 is a flowchart of the second communication method, mainly involving the interaction between the first network element (such as LMF), the second network element (such as NWDAF), the data management network element (such as UDM), and the third network element (such as ADRF). In the process shown in Figure 9, if LMF obtains a change in user authorization before NWDAF ends the subscription, it instructs NWDAF to delete the data obtained through the subscription, which includes the user's data.

[0296] As shown in Figure 9, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0297] S900, NWDAF determines the collected data and detects LMF.

[0298] It should be understood that the S900 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S201-S202 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0299] S901, NWDAF sends a data open subscription message (Nlmf_DataExposure_Subscribe) to LMF.

[0300] The data open subscription message contains the Area of ​​Interest (AoI). The LMF can obtain the identifiers of multiple users within the AoI from the AMF, i.e., an identifier list, such as a SUPI list. Therefore, the LMF can obtain the user authorization information for each of the multiple users from the UDM, identifying at least one authorized user, denoted as "at least one user." For each of these at least one user, the network authorizes the collection and / or use of that user's data for training the localization AI / ML model.

[0301] It should be understood that S901 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S801-S802 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0302] S902, LMF sends a subscription data management message (Nudm_SDM_Subscribe) to UDM.

[0303] The signed data management subscription is used for LMF requests to subscribe to at least one user's authorization changes.

[0304] It should be understood that S902 can also refer to the relevant introduction of the changes in the first network element subscription authorization in S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0305] S903, LMF collects data from UE / NG-RAN.

[0306] UE refers to the UE corresponding to at least one user, which can be understood as the UE used by at least one user individually. NG-RAN refers to the NG-RAN that the UE accesses. NG-RAN can also be replaced with RAN, gNB, etc., without specific restrictions. Data can be location-related data.

[0307] It should be understood that S903 can refer to the relevant introduction of S802 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0308] S904, LMF sends a data exposure notification message #1 (Nlmf_DataExposure_Notify) to NWDAF.

[0309] Data open notification message #1 includes data collected by LMF through S903. This data in data open notification message #1 can be data at the subscription granularity. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of case 1 in S802 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0310] S905, NWDAF sends a data management storage request message to ADRF.

[0311] The data management storage request message includes at least a portion of the data obtained by NWDAF in S904. NWDAF can save at least a portion of the data to ADRF at a subscription granularity.

[0312] It should be understood that S905 is an optional step, and NWDAF may not save the data to ADRF. Furthermore, S905 can also be referenced in the relevant description of Case 1 in S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0313] S906, UDM sends a contract data management notification message (Nudm_SDM_Notification) to LMF.

[0314] Subscribed data management notification messages are notifications of changes to a subscriber's authorization. These messages include the user's identifier (e.g., SUPI) and authorization information instructing the user to revoke their authorization, such as by revoking the network's permission to collect and / or use the user's data for training localization AI / ML models. For ease of description, the user who revokes authorization will be referred to as user #1.

[0315] It should be understood that S906 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S803 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0316] S907, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #2 to NWDAF.

[0317] Data access notification message #2 includes instruction information (such as the first instruction information mentioned above) to indicate the deletion of data. Optionally, it may also include a reason value (such as the second instruction information mentioned above) to indicate that the reason is that the user has revoked the authorization. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of case 1 in S804, which will not be repeated here.

[0318] S908, NWDAF will delete the data stored locally.

[0319] NWDAF can delete data obtained by subscribing to LMF locally.

[0320] S909, NWDAF sends a data management deletion message (Nadrf_DataManagement_Delete) to ADRF.

[0321] If the data obtained by NWDAF through subscription to LMF is also saved to ADRF, as in S905 above, then NWDAF also instructs ADRF to delete this data through a data management deletion message.

[0322] It should be understood that S909 is an optional step; if S905 is executed, then S909 will be executed.

[0323] It should also be understood that S908-S909 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S805 in case 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0324] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the third aspect of this communication method, primarily involving the interaction between a first network element (e.g., LMF), a second network element (e.g., NWDAF), a data management network element (e.g., UDM), and a third network element (e.g., ADRF). In the flowchart shown in Figure 10, the LMF can locally store the association between the subscription initiated by the NWDAF and changes in user authorization subscribed by the LMF. After the NWDAF terminates its subscription, if the LMF obtains changes in user authorization, it instructs the NWDAF, based on the association, to delete the data obtained through that subscription, including the user's data.

[0325] As shown in Figure 10, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0326] For S1000-S1005, please refer to the relevant introduction of S900-S905 mentioned above, and it will not be repeated here.

[0327] It should be understood that LMF can locally store the association between subscriptions initiated by NWDAF and changes in user authorization for LMF subscriptions, such as storing the association between NWDAF information, association information, and data deletion scope information. Association information includes at least one user identifier and / or at least one notification association identifier. Data deletion scope information includes at least one of the following: service operation, data or analysis specifications, or time information. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions of association information and data deletion scope information above; further elaboration is unnecessary.

[0328] S1006, NWDAF sends a data open unsubscribe message (Nlmf_DataExposure_UnSubscribe) to LMF.

[0329] The data open unsubscription message instructs NWDAF to cancel its subscription to the corresponding data from LMF. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction on the second network element unsubscription in S802 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0330] S1007, UDM sends a contract data management notification message to LMF.

[0331] It should be understood that S1007 can be referred to the relevant introduction of S906 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0332] S1008, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #2 to NWDAF.

[0333] Data Exposure Notification Message #2 includes data deletion scope information. Data Exposure Notification Message #2 can implicitly indicate data deletion and the reason (user revocation of authorization) by carrying this data deletion scope information. Alternatively, a new service operation can be defined, such as the Data Exposure Delete Notification (Nlmf_DataExposure_DeleteNotification) service operation or any other service operation that can be named. In this case, Data Exposure Notification Message #2 can be a message for this new service operation, implicitly indicating data deletion through this new service operation. Alternatively, Data Exposure Notification Message #2 can also optionally include displayed information, such as indication information (as described in the first indication information above) to indicate data deletion, and / or a reason value (as described in the second indication information above) to indicate the reason (user revocation of authorization).

[0334] In S1008, the LMF can obtain the data deletion scope information based on the association relationship in S1007 above, and carry it into the data access notification message #2.

[0335] It should be understood that S1008 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S804 Case 1 and data deletion range information above, which will not be repeated here.

[0336] S1009, NWDAF will delete the data stored locally.

[0337] S1010, NWDAF sends a data management deletion message to ADRF.

[0338] It should also be understood that S1009-S1010 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S908-S909 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0339] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the fourth aspect of this communication method, primarily involving the interaction between a first network element (e.g., LMF), a second network element (e.g., NWDAF), a data management network element (e.g., UDM), and a third network element (e.g., ADRF). In the flowchart shown in Figure 11, the LMF can save the association between the subscription initiated by the NWDAF and the changes in user authorization subscribed by the LMF to the UDM. After the NWDAF ends its subscription, if the LMF obtains a change in user authorization, it retrieves the association from the UDM and instructs the NWDAF to delete the data obtained through the subscription, including the user's data, based on the association.

[0340] As shown in Figure 11, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0341] For S1100-S1102, please refer to the relevant introduction of S900-S902 mentioned above, and it will not be repeated here.

[0342] S1103a, the LMF sends a UE context management registration request message (Nudm_UECM_Registration Request) to the UDM.

[0343] LMF can save the association between the subscription initiated by NWDAF and the user authorization changes of LMF subscription to UDM. For example, the UE context management registration request message includes at least one of the following: association information, NWDAF information, or data deletion scope information, which is used to register / save this information to UDM. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of association information and data deletion scope information above, which will not be repeated here.

[0344] S1103b, UDM sends response #1 to LMF.

[0345] Response #1 indicates whether registration was successful or failed.

[0346] S1104, LMF collects data from UE / NG-RAN.

[0347] S1105, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #1 to NWDAF.

[0348] S1106, NWDAF sends a data management storage request message to ADRF.

[0349] It should be understood that S1104-S1106 can refer to the relevant introductions of S903-S905 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0350] S1107, NWDAF sends a data open unsubscribe message to LMF.

[0351] The data open unsubscription message instructs NWDAF to cancel its subscription to the corresponding data from LMF. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction on unsubscribing from the second network element in S802 above; it will not be repeated here. At this time, LMF continues to maintain the aforementioned association.

[0352] S1108, UDM sends a contract data management notification message to LMF.

[0353] It should be understood that S1108 can refer to the relevant introduction of S906 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0354] S1109a, the LMF sends a UE context management get request message (Nudm_UECM_Registration Get Request) to the UDM.

[0355] The UE context management request message can include associated information.

[0356] S1109b, UDM sends response #2 to LMF.

[0357] Response #2 includes at least one of the following that the LMF has registered in advance: UDM association information, NWDAF information, or data deletion scope information.

[0358] It should be understood that S1109a-S1109b can also refer to the relevant introduction of S804 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0359] S1110, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #2 to NWDAF.

[0360] Data access notification message #2 includes data deletion scope information. Data access notification message #2 can implicitly indicate data deletion and the reason as user revocation of authorization by carrying the data deletion scope information. Alternatively, data access notification message #2 may also include displayed information, such as instruction information (as described in the first instruction information above), to indicate data deletion, and / or a reason value (as described in the second instruction information above), to indicate that the reason is user revocation of authorization.

[0361] In S1110, the LMF can obtain the data deletion range information based on the association obtained in S1109b above, and carry it in the data access notification message #2.

[0362] It should be understood that S1110 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S804 Case 1 and data deletion range information above, which will not be repeated here.

[0363] S1111, NWDAF will delete the data stored locally.

[0364] S1112, NWDAF sends a data management deletion message to ADRF.

[0365] It should also be understood that S1110-S1112 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S908-S909 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0366] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating the fifth aspect of this communication method, primarily involving the interaction between the first network element (e.g., LMF), the second network element (e.g., NWDAF), the data management network element (e.g., UDM), and the third network element (e.g., ADRF). In the flowchart shown in Figure 12, if the LMF receives a change in the user's authorization before the NWDAF ends the subscription, it instructs the NWDAF to delete the data sample corresponding to that user's data from the data obtained through the subscription.

[0367] As shown in Figure 12, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0368] S1200, NWDAF determines the collected data and detects LMF.

[0369] It should be understood that S1200 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S201-S202 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0370] S1201, NWDAF sends a data open subscription message to LMF.

[0371] The data open subscription message contains the Area of ​​Interest (AoI). The LMF can obtain the identifiers of multiple users within the AoI from the AMF, i.e., an identifier list, such as a SUPI list. Therefore, the LMF can obtain the user authorization information for each of the multiple users from the UDM, identifying at least one authorized user, denoted as "at least one user." For each of these at least one user, the network authorizes the collection and / or use of that user's data for training the localization AI / ML model.

[0372] It should be understood that S1201 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S801-S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0373] S1202, LMF sends a subscription message for data management to UDM.

[0374] The signed data management subscription is used for LMF requests to subscribe to at least one user's authorization changes.

[0375] It should be understood that S1202 can also refer to the relevant introduction of the changes in the first network element subscription authorization in S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0376] S1203, LMF collects data from UE / NG-RAN.

[0377] UE refers to the UE corresponding to at least one user, which can be understood as the UE used by at least one user individually. NG-RAN refers to the NG-RAN that the UE accesses. NG-RAN can also be replaced with RAN, gNB, etc., without specific restrictions. Data can be location-related data.

[0378] It should be understood that S1203 can be referred to the relevant introduction of S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0379] S1204, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #1 to NWDAF.

[0380] Data open notification message #1 includes data collected by LMF through S903. This data in data open notification message #1 can be data at the sample granularity, that is, it includes the data and the sample identifier corresponding to the data. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of case 2 in S802 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0381] S1205, NWDAF sends a data management storage request message to ADRF.

[0382] The data management storage request message includes at least a portion of the data obtained by NWDAF in S1204. NWDAF can save at least a portion of the data to ADRF at the sample granularity, that is, associate the data with the corresponding sample identifier and save it to ADRF.

[0383] It should be understood that S1205 is an optional step, and NWDAF may not save the data to ADRF. Furthermore, S1205 can also be referenced in the relevant description of Case 2 in S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0384] S1206, UDM sends a contract data management notification message to LMF.

[0385] Subscribed data management notification messages are notifications of changes to a subscriber's authorization. These messages include the user's identifier (e.g., SUPI) and authorization information instructing the user to revoke their authorization, such as by revoking the network's permission to collect and / or use the user's data for training localization AI / ML models. For ease of description, the user who revokes authorization will be referred to as user #1.

[0386] It should be understood that S1206 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S803 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0387] S1207, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #2 to NWDAF.

[0388] Data access notification message #2 includes the sample identifier corresponding to the data of user #1. Data access notification message #2 also includes instruction information (such as the first instruction information mentioned above) to indicate the deletion of data. Optionally, it may also include a reason value (such as the second instruction information mentioned above) to indicate that the reason is that the user has revoked authorization. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of case 2 in S804, which will not be repeated here.

[0389] S1208, NWDAF will delete the data stored locally.

[0390] NWDAF can delete the data corresponding to the sample identifier received by S1207 locally, that is, delete the data sample corresponding to user #1.

[0391] S1209, NWDAF sends a data management deletion message to ADRF.

[0392] If the data obtained by NWDAF through subscription to LMF is also saved to ADRF, such as saving the data and the corresponding sample identifier to ADRF, the data management deletion message can include the sample identifier corresponding to the data, so that ADRF can delete the data corresponding to the sample identifier locally, that is, delete the data sample corresponding to user #1.

[0393] It should be understood that S1209 is an optional step; if S1205 is executed, then S1209 will be executed.

[0394] It should also be understood that S1208-S1209 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S805 2 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0395] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method, primarily involving the interaction between the first network element (e.g., LMF), the second network element (e.g., NWDAF), the data management network element (e.g., UDM), and the third network element (e.g., ADRF). In the flowchart shown in Figure 13, the LMF can save the association between the subscription initiated by the NWDAF and the changes in user authorization subscribed by the LMF locally or to the UDM. After the NWDAF ends its subscription, if the LMF obtains the user's authorization changes, the LMF retrieves the association from the UDM / local file and instructs the NWDAF, based on the association, to delete the data sample corresponding to the user's data from the data obtained through the subscription.

[0396] As shown in Figure 13, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0397] For S1300-S1302, please refer to the relevant introduction of S1200-S1202 above, and it will not be repeated here.

[0398] S1303a, LMF sends a UE context management registration request message to UDM.

[0399] The UE context management registration request message includes at least one of the following: association information, NWDAF information, or data deletion scope information, which is used to request the registration of this information with the UDM. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of association information and data deletion scope information above, which will not be repeated here.

[0400] S1303b, UDM sends response #1 to LMF.

[0401] Response #1 indicates whether registration was successful or failed.

[0402] It should be understood that S1303a-S1303b are optional. The LMF can also store the relationship between the association information, NWDAF information and data deletion scope information locally. For details, please refer to the above introduction on the association information and data deletion scope information, which will not be repeated here.

[0403] S1304, LMF collects data from UE / NG-RAN.

[0404] S1305, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #1 to NWDAF.

[0405] S1306, NWDAF sends a data management storage request message to ADRF.

[0406] It should be understood that S1304-S1306 can be referred to the relevant introductions of S1203-S1205 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0407] S1307, NWDAF sends a data open unsubscribe message to LMF.

[0408] The data open unsubscription message instructs NWDAF to cancel its subscription to the corresponding data from LMF. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction on the second network element unsubscription in S802 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0409] S1308, UDM sends a contract data management notification message to LMF.

[0410] The contract data management notification message can instruct user #1 to revoke authorization, such as by including user #1's identifier.

[0411] It should be understood that S1308 can be referred to the relevant introduction of S1206 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0412] S1309a, LMF sends a UE context management acquisition request message to UDM.

[0413] The UE context management request message can include associated information.

[0414] S1309b, UDM sends response #2 to LMF.

[0415] Response #2 includes LMF pre-registered to at least one of the following: UDM association information, NWDAF information, or data deletion scope information.

[0416] It should be understood that S1309a-S1309b can also refer to the relevant introduction of S804 above, and will not be repeated here. At this time, S1309a-S1309b are optional. If the LMF saves the association relationship locally, the LMF can also obtain the association relationship from the local storage, that is, obtain the association information, NWDAF information, and data deletion range information.

[0417] S1310, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #2 to NWDAF.

[0418] Data open notification message #2 includes a sample identifier, which is the sample identifier corresponding to the data of user #1.

[0419] Data access notification message #2 also includes data deletion scope information. Data access notification message #2 can implicitly indicate data deletion and the reason as user revocation of authorization by carrying this data deletion scope information. Alternatively, data access notification message #2 may also include displayed information, such as instruction information (as described in the first instruction information above), to indicate data deletion, and / or a reason value (as described in the second instruction information above), to indicate that the reason is user revocation of authorization.

[0420] In S1310, the LMF can obtain the data deletion scope information based on the association obtained in S1309b above, and carry it into the data access notification message #2.

[0421] It should be understood that S1310 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S804 Case 2 and data deletion range information above, which will not be repeated here.

[0422] S1311, NWDAF will delete the data stored locally.

[0423] S1312, NWDAF sends a data management deletion message to ADRF.

[0424] It should also be understood that S1310-S1312 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S1208-S1209 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0425] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method, mainly involving the interaction between the first network element (e.g., LMF), the second network element (e.g., NWDAF), the data management network element (e.g., UDM), and the third network element (e.g., ADRF). In the flowchart shown in Figure 14, if the LMF obtains a change in the user's authorization before the NWDAF ends the subscription, it instructs the NWDAF to delete the user's data from the data obtained through the subscription.

[0426] As shown in Figure 14, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0427] S1400, NWDAF determines the collected data and detects LMF.

[0428] It should be understood that S1400 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S201-S202 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0429] S1401, NWDAF sends a data open subscription message to LMF.

[0430] The data open subscription message contains the Area of ​​Interest (AoI). The LMF can obtain the identifiers of multiple users within the AoI from the AMF, i.e., an identifier list, such as a SUPI list. Therefore, the LMF can obtain the user authorization information for each of the multiple users from the UDM, identifying at least one authorized user, denoted as "at least one user." For each of these at least one user, the network authorizes the collection and / or use of that user's data for training the localization AI / ML model.

[0431] It should be understood that S1401 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S801-S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0432] S1402, LMF sends a subscription message for data management to UDM.

[0433] The signed data management subscription is used for LMF requests to subscribe to at least one user's authorization changes.

[0434] It should be understood that S1402 can also refer to the relevant introduction of the changes in the first network element subscription authorization in S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0435] S1403, LMF collects data from UE / NG-RAN.

[0436] UE refers to the UE corresponding to at least one user, which can be understood as the UE used by at least one user individually. NG-RAN refers to the NG-RAN that the UE accesses. NG-RAN can also be replaced with RAN, gNB, etc., without specific restrictions. Data can be location-related data.

[0437] It should be understood that S1403 can be referred to the relevant introduction of S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0438] S1404, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #1 to NWDAF.

[0439] Data open notification message #1 includes data collected by LMF through S903. This data in data open notification message #1 can be user-level data, that is, it includes user data and the user's identifier, or data and the identifier of the user corresponding to the data. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of case 3 in S802 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0440] S1405, NWDAF sends a data management storage request message to ADRF.

[0441] The data management storage request message includes at least a portion of the data obtained by NWDAF in S1404. NWDAF can save at least a portion of the data to ADRF at the user granularity, that is, associate the data with the identifier of the user corresponding to the data and save it to ADRF.

[0442] It should be understood that S1405 is an optional step, and NWDAF may not save the data to ADRF. Furthermore, S1405 can also be referenced in the relevant description of case 3 in S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0443] S1406, UDM sends a contract data management notification message to LMF.

[0444] Subscribed data management notification messages are notifications of changes to a subscriber's authorization. These messages include the user's identifier (e.g., SUPI) and authorization information instructing the user to revoke their authorization, such as by revoking the network's permission to collect and / or use the user's data for training localization AI / ML models. For ease of description, the user who revokes authorization will be referred to as user #1.

[0445] It should be understood that S1406 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S803 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0446] S1407, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #2 to NWDAF.

[0447] Data access notification message #2 includes the identifier of user #1. Data access notification message #2 also includes instruction information (such as the first instruction information mentioned above) to indicate the deletion of data. Optionally, it may also include a reason value (such as the second instruction information mentioned above) to indicate that the reason is that the user has revoked authorization. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of case 3 in S804, which will not be repeated here.

[0448] S1408, NWDAF will delete the data stored locally.

[0449] NWDAF can delete user #1's data locally based on the identifier of user #1 received in S1407.

[0450] S1409, NWDAF sends a data management deletion message to ADRF.

[0451] If the data obtained by NWDAF through subscription to LMF is also saved to ADRF, such as saving the data and the corresponding sample identifier to ADRF, then the data management deletion message can include the identifier of user #1, so that ADRF can delete the data of user #1 locally based on the identifier of user #1.

[0452] It should be understood that S1409 is an optional step; if S1405 is executed, then S1409 will be executed.

[0453] It should also be understood that S1408-S1409 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S805 case 3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0454] Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method, mainly involving the interaction between the first network element (e.g., LMF), the second network element (e.g., NWDAF), the data management network element (e.g., UDM), and the third network element (e.g., ADRF). In the flowchart shown in Figure 15, the LMF can save the association between the subscription initiated by the NWDAF and the changes in user authorization subscribed by the LMF locally or to the UDM. After the NWDAF ends its subscription, if the LMF obtains the user's authorization changes, the LMF retrieves the association from the UDM / local file and instructs the NWDAF to delete the user's data from the data obtained through the subscription based on the association.

[0455] As shown in Figure 15, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0456] For S1500-S1502, please refer to the relevant introduction of S1400-S1402 above, and it will not be repeated here.

[0457] S1503a, LMF sends a UE context management registration request message to UDM.

[0458] The UE context management registration request message includes at least one of the following: association information, NWDAF information, or data deletion scope information, which is used to request the registration of this information with the UDM. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of association information and data deletion scope information above, which will not be repeated here.

[0459] S1503b, UDM sends response #1 to LMF.

[0460] Response #1 indicates whether registration was successful or failed.

[0461] It should be understood that S1503a-S1503b are optional. The LMF can also store the relationship between the association information, NWDAF information and data deletion scope information locally. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of the association information and data deletion scope information above, which will not be repeated here.

[0462] S1504, LMF collects data from UE / NG-RAN.

[0463] S1505, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #1 to NWDAF.

[0464] S1506, NWDAF sends a data management storage request message to ADRF.

[0465] It should be understood that S1504-S1506 can be referred to the relevant introductions of S1403-S1405 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0466] S1507, NWDAF sends a data open unsubscribe message to LMF.

[0467] The data open unsubscription message instructs NWDAF to cancel its subscription to the corresponding data from LMF. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction on the second network element unsubscription in S802 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0468] S1508, UDM sends a contract data management notification message to LMF.

[0469] The contract data management notification message can instruct user #1 to revoke authorization, such as by including user #1's identifier.

[0470] It should be understood that S1508 can be referred to the relevant introduction of S1206 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0471] S1509a, LMF sends a UE context management acquisition request message to UDM.

[0472] The UE context management request message can include associated information.

[0473] S1509b, UDM sends response #2 to LMF.

[0474] Response #2 includes at least one of the following: association information, NWDAF information, or data deletion scope information that the LMF has previously registered with the UDM: association information, NWDAF information, or data deletion scope information.

[0475] It should be understood that S1509a-S1509b can also refer to the relevant introduction of S804 above, and will not be repeated here. At this time, S1509a-S1509b are optional. If the LMF saves the association relationship locally, the LMF can also obtain the association relationship from the local storage, that is, obtain the association information, NWDAF information, and data deletion range information.

[0476] S1510, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #2 to NWDAF.

[0477] Data access notification message #2 includes the identifier of user #1.

[0478] Data access notification message #2 also includes data deletion scope information. Data access notification message #2 can implicitly indicate data deletion and the reason as user revocation of authorization by carrying this data deletion scope information. Alternatively, data access notification message #2 may also include displayed information, such as instruction information (as described in the first instruction information above), to indicate data deletion, and / or a reason value (as described in the second instruction information above), to indicate that the reason is user revocation of authorization.

[0479] In S1510, the LMF can obtain the data deletion scope information based on the association obtained in S1509b above, and carry it in the data access notification message #2.

[0480] It should be understood that S1510 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S804, Case 3 and the data deletion range information, which will not be repeated here.

[0481] S1511, NWDAF will delete the data stored locally.

[0482] S1512, NWDAF sends a data management deletion message to ADRF.

[0483] It should also be understood that S1510-S1512 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S1408-S1409 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0484] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method, mainly involving the interaction between the first network element (e.g., LMF), the second network element (e.g., NWDAF), the data management network element (e.g., UDM), and the third network element (e.g., ADRF). In the flowchart shown in Figure 16, after obtaining the user's data and identifier through subscription, NWDAF can subscribe to the UDM for changes in the user's authorization based on the user's identifier. If NWDAF obtains a change in the user's authorization, it will delete the user's data from the data obtained through subscription.

[0485] As shown in Figure 16, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0486] For S1600-S1601, please refer to the relevant introductions of S1400-S1401 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0487] S1602 can be referred to the relevant introduction of S1403 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0488] S1603, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #1 to NWDAF.

[0489] The LMF can also send an indication message to the NWDAF to instruct the NWDAF to perform a user authorization check, thereby triggering the NWDAF to subscribe to authorization changes for at least one user, as described in S1606 below. For example, the LMF can provide this indication message to the NWDAF through explicit parameters, or it can implicitly indicate the indication message. For example, if the data sent by the LMF to the NWDAF contains the user's identifier, the NWDAF will trigger the execution of a user authorization check for that user, that is, the indication message is implicitly indicated by carrying the user's identifier.

[0490] S1604, NWDAF sends a data management storage request message to ADRF.

[0491] It should be understood that S1603-S1604 can be referred to the relevant introductions of S1404-S1405 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0492] S1605, NWDAF sends a subscription message for data management to UDM.

[0493] The signed data management subscription is used by NWDAF to request subscriptions for at least one user's authorization changes.

[0494] S1606, UDM sends a contract data management notification message to NWDAF.

[0495] Subscribed data management notification messages are notifications of changes to a subscriber's authorization. These messages include the user's identifier (e.g., SUPI) and authorization information instructing the user to revoke their authorization, such as by revoking the network's permission to collect and / or use the user's data for training localization AI / ML models. For ease of description, the user who revokes authorization will be referred to as user #1.

[0496] S1607, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #2 to NWDAF.

[0497] S1608, NWDAF will delete the data stored locally.

[0498] NWDAF can delete user #1's data locally based on the identifier of user #1 received from S1606.

[0499] S1609, NWDAF sends a data management deletion message to ADRF.

[0500] It should also be understood that S1609 can refer to the relevant introduction of S1409 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0501] Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating this communication method, mainly involving the interaction between the first network element (e.g., LMF), the second network element (e.g., NWDAF), the data management network element (e.g., UDM), and the third network element (e.g., ADRF). In the flowchart shown in Figure 17, when the LMF subscribes to user authorization changes from the UDM, it can also include the NWDAF's address in the notification target address. This allows the UDM to notify the NWDAF when a user's authorization changes, enabling the NWDAF to delete the user based on the UDM's notification.

[0502] As shown in Figure 17, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0503] For S1700-S1701, please refer to the relevant introduction of S1400-S1401 mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0504] S1702, LMF sends a subscription message for data management to UDM.

[0505] A Subscribed Data Management Subscription (LDF) is used by an LMF to request subscriptions for authorization changes to at least one user. The target notification address in a Subscribed Data Management Subscription can include not only the LMF's address but also the NWDAF's address.

[0506] It should be understood that S1702 can also refer to the relevant introduction of the changes in the first network element subscription authorization in S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0507] S1703, LMF collects data from UE / NG-RAN.

[0508] S1704, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #1 to NWDAF.

[0509] S1705, NWDAF sends a data management storage request message to ADRF.

[0510] It should be understood that S1703-S1705 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S1403-S1405 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0511] S1706, UDM sends a contract data management notification message to NWDAF.

[0512] If user #1 revokes authorization, UDM can send a subscription data management notification message to NWDAF based on the notification target address in S1702, which includes the NWDAF address. The subscription data management notification message instructs user #1 to revoke authorization. If user #1's identifier is included, the subscription data management notification message can also refer to the relevant description in S1406 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0513] It should be understood that since the target notification address of the signed data management subscription in S1702 can also include the address of the LMF, the UDM can also notify the LMF to cancel the authorization of user #1.

[0514] S1707, NWDAF will delete the data stored locally.

[0515] NWDAF can delete user #1's data locally based on the identifier of user #1 received from S1706.

[0516] S1708, NWDAF sends a data management deletion message to ADRF.

[0517] It should be understood that S1708 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S1409 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0518] As shown in Figure 18, this communication method mainly involves the interaction process of the third network element in the aforementioned communication system. For example, if a user revokes authorization, the third network element deletes the user's data that the second network element had previously saved to the third network element. The flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0519] S1801, the third network element receives the third information.

[0520] The third message is used to instruct the user to revoke authorization for the network to collect and / or use the user's data. The specific implementation is similar to the first message, which can be referred to for understanding, and will not be repeated here.

[0521] The third network element can receive third information from the data management network element that serves the user.

[0522] For example, as described above, when the first network element provides data at the user level, the data saved by the second network element to the third network element can also include the user's identifier. In this case, the third network element can subscribe to the user's authorization changes from the data management network element serving that user based on the user's identifier. Specifically, when the second network element saves the user's identifier and data to the third network element, it can also provide the third network element with purpose information. This purpose information can be used to indicate the purpose of data collection and / or use. Thus, the third network element can subscribe to the user's authorization changes for that purpose from the data management network element serving that user. The specific subscription method is similar to that of the first network element and can be understood by referring to it; it will not be elaborated further here. Alternatively, when the first network element subscribes to the user's authorization changes from the data management network element, the notification target address can also include the address of the third network element, that is, informing the data management network element that it also needs to notify the third network element when the user's authorization changes. Therefore, the third network element can receive third information returned by the data management network element based on the authorization changes.

[0523] S1802, the third network element responds to the third information and deletes the third data.

[0524] The third data is the data stored by the second network element in the third network element, and the third data includes user data.

[0525] It should be understood that the way the third network element stores and deletes third data is similar to the above-mentioned situation 3, which can be understood by reference and will not be repeated here.

[0526] In summary, if the user's data is previously stored by the second network element to the third network element, then if the user cancels authorization, the network can notify the third network element to delete the user's data accordingly. In other words, the network can delete the user's data when the user cancels authorization, so as to meet the user's requirements for using the user's data.

[0527] The overall flow of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figure 18. The flow of executing the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application in a specific scenario is described in detail below with reference to Figures 19-20.

[0528] Figure 19 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method, mainly involving the interaction between the first network element (e.g., LMF), the second network element (e.g., NWDAF), the data management network element (e.g., UDM), and the third network element (e.g., ADRF). In the flowchart shown in Figure 19, after obtaining the user's data and identifier, the ADRF can subscribe to the UDM for changes in the user's authorization based on the user's identifier. If the ADRF obtains a change in the user's authorization, it will delete the user's data from the obtained data.

[0529] As shown in Figure 19, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0530] For S1900-S1901, please refer to the relevant introductions of S1400-S1401 mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0531] For S1902, please refer to the relevant introduction of S1403 above, and it will not be repeated here.

[0532] S1903, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #1 to NWDAF.

[0533] S1904, NWDAF sends a data management storage request message to ADRF.

[0534] The NWDAF can also send an indication message to the ADRF to instruct the ADRF to perform a user authorization check, thereby triggering the ADRF to subscribe to authorization changes for at least one user, as described in S1905 below. For example, the NWDAF can provide this indication message to the ADRF through explicit parameters, or it can implicitly indicate the indication message. For example, if the data sent by the NWDAF to the ADRF contains the user's identifier, the ADRF will trigger the execution of a user authorization check for that user, that is, the indication message is implicitly indicated by carrying the user's identifier.

[0535] It should be understood that S1903-S1904 can be referred to the relevant introductions of S1404-S1405 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0536] S1905, ADRF sends a subscription message to UDM for the data management subscription.

[0537] The signed data management subscription is used to request an ADRF request to subscribe to at least one user's authorization changes.

[0538] S1906, UDM sends a subscription data management notification message to ADRF.

[0539] Subscribed data management notification messages are notifications of changes to a subscriber's authorization. These messages include the user's identifier (e.g., SUPI) and authorization information instructing the user to revoke their authorization, such as by revoking the network's permission to collect and / or use the user's data for training localization AI / ML models. For ease of description, the user who revokes authorization will be referred to as user #1.

[0540] S1907, ADRF will delete the data stored locally.

[0541] NWDAF can delete user #1's data locally based on the identifier of user #1 received in S1906.

[0542] Figure 20 is a flowchart of this communication method, mainly involving the interaction between the first network element (e.g., LMF), the second network element (e.g., NWDAF), the data management network element (e.g., UDM), and the third network element (e.g., ADRF). In the flowchart shown in Figure 20, when the LMF subscribes to user authorization changes from the UDM, it can also include the ADRF's address in the notification target address. This way, when a user's authorization changes, the UDM can notify the ADRF, allowing the ADRF to delete the user based on the UDM's notification.

[0543] As shown in Figure 20, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0544] For S2000-S2001, please refer to the relevant introduction of S1400-S1401 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0545] S2002, LMF sends a subscription message for data management to UDM.

[0546] The Subscribed Data Management Subscription (LDF) is used to request authorization changes from at least one user. The target notification address in the Subscribed Data Management Subscription can include not only the LMF's address but also the ADRF's address. This application embodiment does not limit the method by which the LMF obtains the ADRF's address; it can be pre-configured or the NWDAF can inform the LMF through a subscription initiated to the LMF.

[0547] It should be understood that S2002 can also refer to the relevant introduction of the changes in the first network element subscription authorization in S802 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0548] S2003, LMF collects data from UE / NG-RAN.

[0549] S2004, LMF sends Data Open Notification Message #1 to NWDAF.

[0550] S2005, NWDAF sends a data management storage request message to ADRF.

[0551] It should be understood that S2003-S2005 can also refer to the relevant introductions of S1403-S1405 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0552] S2006, UDM sends a subscription data management notification message to ADRF.

[0553] If user #1 revokes authorization, UDM can send a subscription data management notification message to ADRF based on the notification target address of the subscription in S2002, which includes the ADRF's address. The subscription data management notification message instructs user #1 to revoke authorization, and may include user #1's identifier. The details of the subscription data management notification message can also be found in the relevant description in S1406 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0554] It should be understood that since the target notification address of the signed data management subscription in S2002 can also include the address of the LMF, the UDM can also notify the LMF to cancel the authorization of user #1.

[0555] S2007, ADRF will delete data stored locally.

[0556] ADRF can delete user #1's data locally based on the identifier of user #1 received from S2006.

[0557] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 8-20. The communication apparatus used to perform the communication method provided by the embodiments of this application is described in detail below with reference to Figures 21 and 22.

[0558] For example, FIG21 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG21, the communication device 2100 includes a processing module 2101 and a transceiver module 2102. For ease of explanation, FIG21 only shows the main components of the communication device.

[0559] In some embodiments, the communication device 2100 may be adapted to the communication system shown in FIG7 to perform the function of the first network element in the communication method shown in FIG8-FIG20.

[0560] The transceiver module 2102 is used to perform the transceiver functions of the first network element.

[0561] The processing module 2101 is used to perform functions of the first network element other than the transmit and receive functions.

[0562] Optionally, the communication device 2100 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 21) storing programs or instructions. When the processing module 2101 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 2100 can perform the function of the first network element in the communication method shown in FIG. 8-FIG. It should be understood that the processing module 2101 involved in the communication device 2100 may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components, and may be a processor or processing unit; the transceiver module 2102 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components, and may be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

[0563] Furthermore, the communication device 2100 can be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the network device, or a device containing the network device; this application embodiment does not limit this. The technical effects of the communication device 2100 can be referred to the technical effects of the communication methods shown in any one of Figures 8-20, and will not be repeated here.

[0564] In other embodiments, the communication device 2100 may be adapted to perform the function of the second network element in the communication method shown in Figures 8-20 within the communication system shown in Figure 7.

[0565] The transceiver module 2102 is used to perform the transceiver functions of the second network element.

[0566] The processing module 2101 is used to perform functions of the second network element other than the transmit and receive functions.

[0567] Optionally, the communication device 2100 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 21) storing programs or instructions. When the processing module 2101 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 2100 can perform the function of the second network element in the communication method shown in FIG. 8-FIG. It should be understood that the processing module 2101 involved in the communication device 2100 may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components, and may be a processor or processing unit; the transceiver module 2102 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components, and may be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

[0568] Furthermore, the communication device 2100 can be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the network device, or a device containing the network device; this application embodiment does not limit this. The technical effects of the communication device 2100 can be referred to the technical effects of the communication methods shown in any one of Figures 8-20, and will not be repeated here.

[0569] In some other embodiments, the communication device 2100 may be adapted to perform the function of the third network element in the communication method shown in Figures 8-20 within the communication system shown in Figure 7.

[0570] The transceiver module 2102 is used to perform the transceiver functions of the third network element.

[0571] The processing module 2101 is used to perform functions of the third network element other than the transmit and receive functions.

[0572] Optionally, the communication device 2100 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 21) storing programs or instructions. When the processing module 2101 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 2100 can perform the function of the third network element in the communication method shown in FIG. 8-FIG. It should be understood that the processing module 2101 involved in the communication device 2100 may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components, and may be a processor or processing unit; the transceiver module 2102 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components, and may be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

[0573] Furthermore, the communication device 2100 can be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the network device, or a device containing the network device; this application embodiment does not limit this. The technical effects of the communication device 2100 can be referred to the technical effects of the communication methods shown in any one of Figures 8-20, and will not be repeated here.

[0574] Figure 22 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, the communication device can be a terminal, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in the terminal. As shown in Figure 22, the communication device 2200 may include a processor 2201. Optionally, the communication device 2200 may further include a memory 2202 and / or a transceiver 2203. The processor 2201 is coupled to the memory 2202 and the transceiver 2203, and may be connected via a communication bus.

[0575] The following is a detailed description of each component of the communication device 2200 with reference to Figure 22:

[0576] The processor 2201 is the control center of the communication device 2200. It can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 2201 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0577] Optionally, the processor 2201 can perform various functions of the communication device 2200 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 2202 and calling data stored in the memory 2202, such as performing the communication methods shown in Figures 8-20 above.

[0578] In a specific implementation, as one example, processor 2201 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in FIG22.

[0579] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 2200 may also include multiple processors, such as processors 2201 and 2204 shown in FIG. 22. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). Here, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0580] The memory 2202 is used to store the software program that executes the solution of this application, and is controlled by the processor 2201 to execute it. The specific implementation method can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0581] Optionally, the memory 2202 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 2202 may be integrated with the processor 2201 or may exist independently and be coupled to the processor 2201 through the interface circuit of the communication device 2200 (not shown in FIG. 22). This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0582] Transceiver 2203 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if communication device 2200 is a terminal, transceiver 2203 can be used to communicate with a network device or with another terminal device. As another example, if communication device 2200 is a network device, transceiver 2203 can be used to communicate with a terminal or with another network device.

[0583] Optionally, transceiver 2203 may include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in Figure 22). The receiver is used to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0584] Optionally, the transceiver 2203 can be integrated with the processor 2201 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 2201 through the interface circuit of the communication device 2200 (not shown in FIG22). This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0585] It is understood that the structure of the communication device 2200 shown in Figure 22 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. The actual communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0586] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device 2200 can be referred to the technical effects of the method described in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0587] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or it can be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0588] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous linked DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0589] The above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware, or any other combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more sets of available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. A semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0590] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. A and B can be singular or plural. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects, but it can also represent an "and / or" relationship. Please refer to the context for a more accurate understanding.

[0591] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0592] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0593] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0594] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0595] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0596] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0597] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0598] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks. The above descriptions are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the first network element, including: Receive a data subscription request from a second network element, wherein the data subscription request indicates that the second network element requests to subscribe to the corresponding data; In response to the data subscription request, first data is sent to the second network element, the first data including the data of the first user; Receive first information, the first information being used to instruct the first user to revoke authorization for the network to collect and / or use the first user's data, the network including the first network element and the second network element; Based on the first information, a second information is sent to the second network element. The second information includes a first instruction, which is used to instruct the deletion of second data. The second data is contained within the first data and includes the data of the first user.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first data is the second data.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second information includes a sample identifier, and the second data is the data corresponding to the sample identifier in the first data.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the method further includes sending data corresponding to the sample identifier to the second network element in response to the data subscription request; Associate the identifier of the first user with the sample identifier corresponding to the data of the first user; Upon receiving the first information, the method further includes: Determine the sample identifier associated with the identifier of the first user.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second information includes the identifier of the first user, and the first data is the data of the first user in the second data.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second information also includes purpose information, which indicates the purpose of data collection and / or use, and the second data is the data from the first user that satisfies the purpose of data collection and / or use.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, When, in response to the data subscription request, the method sends the first user's data to the second network element, the method further includes: The identifier of the first user is sent to the second network element.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The second information also includes second indication information, which indicates the reason for deleting the first data, namely that the user has revoked authorization for the network to collect and / or use the user's data.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: In response to the data subscription request, if the data of the first user is sent to the second network element, the association information corresponding to the first user is associated with the information of the second network element; The step of sending second information to the second network element based on the first information includes: Based on the first information, determine the information of the second network element associated with the associated information; Based on the information of the second network element, the second information is sent to the second network element.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, Before receiving the first information, the method further includes: Send a service subscription request to the data management network element. The service subscription request instructs the first network element to subscribe to the authorization changes of the first user. The service subscription request includes the association information, which includes the identifier of the first user and / or the notification association identifier. The notification association identifier is used to identify the subscription to the authorization changes of the first user. The receipt of the first information includes: Receive the first information containing the associated information returned by the data management network element.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Upon receiving an unsubscribe message from the second network element, the association between the associated information and the information of the second network element is saved, and the unsubscribe message instructs the second network element to unsubscribe from the corresponding data.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9-11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a registration request message to the data management network element. The registration request message is used to request that the information contained in the registration request message be registered to the data management network element. The registration request message includes information indicating that the associated information is associated with the information of the second network element. If the first user revokes authorization for the network to collect and / or use the first user's data, information indicating the association of the associated information with the information of the second network element is obtained from the data management network element.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9-12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Upon receiving the first information, if the second network element has canceled its subscription to the corresponding data from the first network element, then data deletion range information is sent to the second network element, wherein the data deletion range information is used to indicate the range of data to be deleted by the second network element.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The data deletion scope information includes at least one of the following: the service operation, the data or analysis specification, or time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time when the first network element collects data.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, The data for the first user is location-related data for the first user.

16. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the second network element, including: Send a data subscription request to the first network element, wherein the data subscription request instructs the second network element to request to subscribe to the corresponding data; Receive the first data corresponding to the data subscription request, wherein the first data includes user data; Receive second information, the second information including instruction information, the instruction information being used to instruct the user to revoke authorization for the network to collect and / or use the user's data, the network including the first network element and the second network element; Based on the second information, delete the second data, which is contained in the first data, and the second data includes the user's data.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The first data is the second data.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The step of deleting the second data based on the second information includes: Based on the sample identifier included in the second information, delete the data corresponding to the sample identifier in the first data.

19. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The user is the first user, and the step of deleting the second data based on the second information includes: Based on the identifier of the first user included in the second information, delete the data of the first user from the first data.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The second information also includes purpose information, which indicates the purpose of data collection and / or use. The step of deleting the first user's data from the first data based on the first user's identifier included in the second information includes: Based on the identifier of the first user, delete the data in the first user's data that satisfies the purpose of data collection and / or use.

21. The method according to claim 18 or 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: In the case of receiving data from the first user corresponding to the data subscription request, the identifier of the first user is received from the first network element; Associate the data of the first user with the identifier of the first user.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, Receiving the identifier of the first user from the first network element includes: Receive the identifier of the first user and the sample identifier corresponding to the data of the first user from the first network element; Associating the data of the first user with the identifier of the first user includes: Associate the data of the first user, the sample identifier, and the identifier of the first user.

23. The method according to any one of claims 17-22, characterized in that, After the data subscription request is sent to the first network element, and before the second information is received, the method further includes: Send an unsubscribe message to the first network element, wherein the unsubscribe message instructs the second network element to unsubscribe from the corresponding data; Upon receiving the second information, the method further includes: Receive data deletion range information, which indicates the range of data to be deleted by the second network element; Based on the data deletion range information, determine the second data that needs to be deleted.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The data deletion scope information includes at least one of the following: the service operation, the data or analysis specification, or time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time when the first network element collects data.

25. The method according to any one of claims 17-24, characterized in that, Before receiving the first information, the method further includes: At least a portion of the data in the first data is saved to the third network element; In the case of receiving the second information, the method further includes: Based on the second information, the third network element is instructed to delete the third data in the at least part of the data, the third data including the user's data.

26. The method according to any one of claims 16-25, characterized in that, The receiving of the second information includes: Receive the second information from the first network element; or, Receive the second information from the data management network element serving the user.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The method further includes: Subscribe to the user's authorization changes to the data management network element; Receiving the second information from the data management network element serving the user includes: Receive the second information returned by the data management network element based on the authorization change.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that, The subscription of the user's authorization changes to the data management network element includes: If the first data includes the user's identifier, the user's authorization changes are subscribed to from the data management network element based on the user's identifier.

29. The method according to any one of claims 16-28, characterized in that, The data of the first user is the location-related data of the first user, the first network element is the positioning function network element, and the second network element is the data analysis function network element.

30. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a third network element, the method includes: Receive a third message, the third message being used to instruct the user to revoke authorization for the network to collect and / or use the user's data; In response to the third information, the third data is deleted. The network includes a second network element and a third network element. The third data is data stored by the second network element in the third network element, and the third data includes the user's data.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that, The receipt of the third information includes: Receive the third information from the data management network element serving the user.

32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that, The method further includes: Changes to the authorization of users subscribing to the data management network element; Receiving the third information from the data management network element serving the user includes: Receive the third information returned by the data management network element based on the authorization change.

33. The method according to claim 32, characterized in that, The data saved by the second network element to the third network element includes the user's identifier, and the step of subscribing to the data management network element for user authorization changes includes: Based on the user's identifier, subscribe to the user's authorization changes from the data management network element.

34. The method according to any one of claims 30-33, characterized in that, The user's data is location-related data.

35. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-15, a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 16-29, or a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 30-34.

36. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Processor and memory; The memory is used to store computer instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-15, or the method as described in any one of claims 16-29, or the method as described in any one of claims 30-34.

37. The communication device according to claim 36, characterized in that, The communication device is a chip.

38. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1-15 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 16-29 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 30-34 to be performed.

39. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-15 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 16-29 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 30-34 to be performed.

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