Bioinformatic Data Privacy System with Dynamic Consent
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for protecting genomic data privacy are inadequate, as they either reduce data accessibility or increase privacy risks, and existing consent systems are inflexible and lack dynamic updates to reflect changing personal and public contexts.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that segment and control the flow of bioinformatic data over networks, using user preference repositories and policy repositories to enhance privacy protections, while enabling broad sharing and analysis, through metadata assignment, indexing, compression, and encryption, with optional homomorphic encryption for secure processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If genomic data is made broadly accessible for research and analysis, then data utility and scientific value are improved, but privacy risks and security vulnerabilities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments genomic data into multiple encrypted partitions or shards that can be distributed across different storage locations. Each segment alone is insufficient to reconstruct the original genome, requiring a threshold number of segments for access. This segmentation enables broad data sharing for research while maintaining privacy, as no single point of access reveals complete genomic information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cryptographic intermediaries and trusted execution environments that mediate between data seekers and genomic data. These intermediaries enable computation and analysis on encrypted data without exposing the underlying genomic sequences, thus facilitating data utility while protecting privacy through cryptographic abstraction layers.
2Reliability
If traditional encryption methods are used to protect genomic data, then privacy protection is improved, but data accessibility and research utility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic access control mechanisms where encryption keys and access permissions can be modified in real-time based on user preferences, research protocols, and contextual factors. This dynamic approach allows the same genomic data to be accessible to different researchers under different conditions, maintaining both privacy protection and flexible data accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs homomorphic encryption and other advanced cryptographic techniques that allow computational operations on encrypted data without decryption. This changes the parameter of data state from plaintext to ciphertext, enabling research utility while maintaining encryption-based privacy protection throughout the data lifecycle.
3Reliability
If consent systems are made rigid and static, then regulatory compliance is improved, but flexibility to adapt to changing personal and public contexts deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic consent management systems where individuals can modify their data sharing preferences, access permissions, and withdrawal conditions at any time through user-friendly interfaces. The system automatically updates access controls and notifications based on these changing preferences, maintaining both regulatory compliance and individual autonomy throughout the data lifecycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms that notify data subjects about how their genomic data is being used, who has accessed it, and for what purposes. This feedback loop enables individuals to make informed decisions about their consent preferences and allows the system to adapt to changing personal and public contexts while maintaining audit trails for regulatory compliance.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and apparatus for enabling individuals to control the sharing and disclosure of their bioinformatic data, including whole genome sequence data over a network. In combination with a privacy preference repository and policy repository for expressing legal and institutional criteria for accessing such bioinformatic information, a private access bureau enables such privacy and policy requirements to be applied while simultaneously enabling sharing of such bioinformatics data by properly authorized parties or applications. Through the use of various forms of metadata, encryption, and unique IDs that accompany such data elements, discrete segments of said bioinformatic data can be queried; and where permissible discovered, analyzed and linked with other health data based on pertinent privacy laws, institutional policies, and the individual's preferences that are associated with, and dynamically controlled through, an intuitive user interface.