Anonymous Ad Targeting via Group Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Publishers face challenges in delivering targeted online advertisements without compromising user anonymity, as they are hesitant to share personally identifiable information with third-party ad services while still wanting to provide relevant ads to their users.

Innovation Solution

The system uses group identifiers instead of user identifiers to allow for anonymous targeting of ads, where publishers group users based on shared characteristics and provide these group identifiers to ad services, enabling ad selection without revealing individual user information, and updates preferences based on group activity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If publishers share user information with ad services for targeted advertising, then ad relevance and effectiveness improve, but user anonymity and privacy are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvead relevanceVSAvoiduser privacy loss

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments users into anonymous groups based on shared characteristics and behaviors rather than treating individual users separately. This allows the ad service to target ads to groups with similar interests while preserving individual user anonymity. The segmentation enables targeted advertising effectiveness without requiring access to personally identifiable information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary layer between user data and ad targeting. Instead of directly using individual user information, the system uses group identifiers and aggregated group characteristics as intermediaries. This intermediary mechanism allows ad services to access targeting information without direct access to sensitive user data, resolving the contradiction between ad relevance and privacy protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If publishers use group identifiers instead of user identifiers, then user anonymity is maintained, but the precision of ad targeting may be reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser anonymityVSAvoidtargeting precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system makes group identifiers dynamic rather than static. Group assignments are not fixed but can change as users exhibit new behaviors or characteristics. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain anonymity while improving targeting precision over time, as groups are continuously refined based on observed user activities and interactions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback loops where ad service performance data is used to refine group characteristics and compositions. By analyzing which ads perform well with which groups, the system continuously improves its understanding of group preferences and behaviors. This feedback mechanism enables the system to maintain high targeting precision using anonymous group identifiers, compensating for the loss of individual user data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11798034B1Directed content to anonymized users

Publication Date: 2023.10.24 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

A computer-implemented method for identifying directed content without access to personally-identifiable information of a user includes receiving a group identifier that identifies a group to which the user belongs and an identifier for a device of the user; selecting content that is determined to be responsive to preferences of the group, without using information that identifies the user; and providing the selected content for display on the device of the user.