Application Data Flow Mapping for Automated Privacy Risk Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Global enterprises face challenges in managing data privacy and integrity across multiple countries due to differing regulations, making it a tedious and resource-intensive process to identify and mitigate risks associated with the collection and processing of personal and sensitive customer information.
Innovation Solution
A data management system and method that automatically determines risk levels for customer information processing applications by obtaining and analyzing location-specific data flow information, providing visual representations, and generating reports to facilitate quick identification and mitigation of high-risk applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual expert interviews and system access are used to assess data privacy risks, then measurement precision of risk assessment is improved, but loss of time and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables applications to self-assess their own data privacy risks by automatically providing data flow mapping, location information, and risk level determinations without requiring manual expert interviews. The automated risk assessment engine performs the evaluation function that previously required human experts, thereby reducing time while maintaining assessment accuracy through systematic automated analysis of data processing locations and flows.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual expert interviews and physical system access with an automated electronic risk assessment engine. This electronic system automatically collects application information, determines data flow locations, assesses privacy risks based on predefined criteria, and generates reports without requiring human experts to manually interview or physically access systems, thus eliminating time losses while maintaining measurement precision through algorithmic consistency.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive data flow mapping and location tracking are implemented, then measurement precision of privacy compliance is improved, but device complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex task of comprehensive data privacy compliance verification into discrete, manageable components: (1) obtaining initial application information, (2) determining additional information requirements based on location, (3) obtaining supplementary data flow details, (4) determining risk levels based on predefined criteria, and (5) generating compliance reports. This segmentation allows the system to handle complex compliance verification through structured, modular processing steps rather than monolithic complex analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing a framework for risk assessment that includes predefined criteria for determining risk levels and a structured approach to information collection. The system proactively identifies what additional application information is required based on the location of processing before actually performing the full assessment, thereby preparing the analytical structure in advance and reducing the complexity of real-time compliance verification.
3Productivity
If automated risk assessment is implemented, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision of risk evaluation may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The automated risk assessment system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the risk assessment engine continuously refines its evaluations based on the application information provided and the data flow mapping performed. The system receives feedback from the structured information collection process and adjusts its risk level determinations accordingly, ensuring that automated assessment maintains precision by iteratively improving accuracy based on the specific characteristics of each application and its data processing patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes obtaining application information including at least one of a location of origin for customer information within an application or a location of termination for the customer information within the application, performing at least one corrective action to reduce a determined risk associated with the application based on privacy guidelines associated with at least one of the location of origin or the location of termination, and displaying, via a graphical user interface, the at least one corrective action to a user.