Anonymous Identifier Linking for Privacy-Safe Ad Bidding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current content delivery systems face challenges in efficiently linking user identifiers across multiple devices for targeted advertising, leading to suboptimal ad placement and revenue generation, as they often rely on direct client input and may violate user privacy.
Innovation Solution
A method that links multiple identifiers associated with a user or device, using anonymous cookies or device IDs, to determine relative values for bidding opportunities, allowing for real-time bid requests to be generated based on user behavior and preferences across devices without storing personally identifiable information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If user identifiers are linked across multiple devices for targeted advertising, then ad relevance and revenue generation are improved, but user privacy protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary anonymous identifier system that mediates between user privacy protection and advertising effectiveness. Instead of directly linking personal identifiers across devices, the system uses anonymous identifiers that are exchanged and correlated through a trusted intermediary (the exchange), allowing ad targeting without exposing user identity. This resolves the contradiction by enabling productivity improvement while protecting user privacy through the intermediary mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates anonymous copies of user identifiers that can be exchanged and linked across devices without revealing the original personal identifiers. The anonymous identifier acts as a copy that preserves the functionality of user identification and ad targeting while eliminating the privacy risk associated with using real personal identifiers. This allows ad revenue generation without compromising user privacy.
2Productivity
If real-time bid requests are generated based on multiple identifiers, then bidding efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-generating and storing anonymous identifiers associated with users across multiple devices before the actual bidding process. When a bid request occurs, the system already has the anonymous identifiers ready to be exchanged and correlated, eliminating the need for complex real-time identifier matching. This preliminary preparation improves bidding efficiency while keeping the actual bidding system relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the identifier linking process into separate, manageable components: identifier generation, identifier exchange, and bid request generation. Each component handles a specific aspect of the process independently, reducing overall system complexity. The segmentation allows each part to be optimized separately while maintaining high bidding efficiency through their coordinated operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, including a method for providing content. A linking is provided of identifiers for users or devices known to a content delivery service. Each identifier is associated with the user or device in a specific context. The linking includes first and second identifiers. A request for content is received that includes either the first or second identifier. Bidders in an exchange are identified that have expressed an interest in bidding on a content delivery opportunity associated with the user or the device. For each bidder, a relative value is determined for a respective bidder for the opportunity to present content to the user or device in association with each identifier known to the bidder. For each bidder, a real-time bid request is generated in the exchange that includes the highest value identifier for submission to a respective bidder.