Application-Specific User Identifier for Online System Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Online systems face challenges in maintaining user privacy as third-party applications installed by users increase the complexity of managing access to user-specific information, leading to difficulties in regulating access and protecting sensitive user data.
Innovation Solution
The online system generates an application-specific user identifier associated with each user and installed application, allowing the application to identify users without knowing the online system user identifier, while maintaining information associating the application-specific user identifier with the online system user identifier, thus regulating access and protecting user privacy through user-specified settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the online system allows third-party applications to access user information to provide personalized functionality, then user interaction and engagement increase, but user privacy and data security become harder to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments user identification into multiple layers: online system user identifiers remain centralized and protected, while application-specific user identifiers are distributed to individual applications. This segmentation allows applications to function independently with limited access, preventing any single application from obtaining comprehensive user information while maintaining necessary functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The online system acts as an intermediary that mediates between applications and user information. Applications communicate with the online system using application-specific user identifiers, and the online system translates these to online system user identifiers to retrieve user information. This intermediary role ensures that applications never directly access raw user identifiers or sensitive data without controlled translation and filtering.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the online system maintains centralized user identifiers for all applications, then data consistency is improved, but access control complexity and security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The identifier system is segmented into application-specific user identifiers (distributed to individual applications) and online system user identifiers (centralized in the online system). This segmentation allows each application to operate with its own simplified identifier while the online system maintains the master mapping, reducing access control complexity for individual applications while preserving centralized data consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the functionality of distributed identification (local to each application) with centralized user information storage. Application-specific user identifiers are mapped to online system user identifiers through the online system, combining the benefits of decentralized application autonomy with centralized data management and consistency.
3Measurement precision
If applications use online system user identifiers directly, then identification accuracy is improved, but user privacy exposure and security vulnerabilities increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applications directly using online system user identifiers to identify users, the system inverts the approach: applications use application-specific user identifiers, and the online system performs the reverse translation to online system user identifiers to retrieve user information. This inversion protects user privacy by preventing direct exposure of online system user identifiers to applications while maintaining identification accuracy through controlled translation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the online system provides comprehensive user information to applications, then application personalization capability is improved, but user data security and privacy protection deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments user information access by application, where each application receives only the specific user information it requires for its function, translated through application-specific user identifiers. This segmentation enables personalized functionality for each application while limiting exposure to only necessary data, thereby maintaining data security and privacy protection.
Data Source
AI summary
An online system regulates access to information about a user by associating an online system user identifier with a unique application-specific user identifier used by an application to identify the user. Each application communicating with the online system and installed by the user is associated with a unique application-specific user identifier that is associated with the user's online system user identifier. For example, information identifying an installed application and an application-specific user identifier are associated with the user's online system user identifier when the user installs the application. When communicating about a user with an installed application associated with the user, the online system identifies the user via the application-specific identifier associated with the installed application and may provide limited information associated with the online system user identifier associated with the application-specific identifier.