A
system for implementing search- and retrieval-compatible data
obfuscation includes an annotator that annotates data,
metadata, and relationships thereof that are privacy sensitive according to privacy policies. The
system also includes an indexing
server that indexes the annotated data according to the policies that specify rules for controlling access to the data. The
system also includes an
obfuscation server for serving user requests for
data search and retrieval, and specifies data entitlement and access rights for the users by applying the privacy policies to user profiles. In response to receiving a search request from a user, the
obfuscation server forwards the
search terms in the request, along with a
privacy level determined from a corresponding
user profile and the policies, to a
search engine that searches indices of a
database having the
privacy level in the request, and returning to the user only the results which match the
search terms and the
privacy level. In response to receiving a
data retrieval request, the obfuscation server retrieves the requested data with annotations from the
database, applies the obfuscation scheme to the annotated data according to the privacy policies and the
user profile, and returns to the user the obfuscated data in compliance with the privacy policies.