Privacy-Preserving Event Attendance via Biometric Tokenization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing event management systems face challenges in securely authenticating users, maintaining user privacy, accurately recording attendance, and conducting performance analyses while preventing the misuse of personal data.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for privacy-preserving event attendance recording that utilizes biometric authentication, asymmetric key encryption, and tokenized identities to register users, record attendance, manage tasks, and conduct performance analyses without revealing user identities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional event management systems collect personal information from users, then user identification and personalized services are improved, but user privacy and security are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a tokenization mechanism as an intermediary between user identity and event management data. Users are assigned unique tokens that serve as placeholders for their identities, allowing the system to track and manage users without storing or processing their actual personal information. This intermediary token layer enables reliable user identification while preventing direct access to sensitive personal data, thus resolving the contradiction between identification reliability and privacy protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of user identity information in the form of tokens and hashes, which are distributed across multiple systems and databases. These copies are encrypted and linked through cryptographic hashes, allowing the system to reference and track users without retaining the original personal information. This copying approach maintains identification capability while minimizing the exposure of sensitive data, addressing both reliability and privacy concerns.
2Reliability
If users provide biometric data for authentication, then authentication security is improved, but data storage requirements and privacy risks are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the biometric data from centralized storage and processes it locally on user devices. Instead of collecting and storing raw biometric templates in a centralized database, the system uses biometric data only temporarily for authentication purposes and then discards it. The authentication process verifies biometric characteristics without creating permanent stored copies, thereby reducing storage complexity and privacy risks while maintaining strong authentication security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs disposable authentication tokens and temporary cryptographic keys that are generated for each authentication session and immediately discarded after use. These short-lived authentication credentials eliminate the need for long-term storage of sensitive biometric data, reducing both the complexity of data management and the attack surface for privacy breaches, while still providing secure authentication.
3Adaptability or versatility
If event management systems store user profiles and activity data, then personalized event recommendations are improved, but user privacy control is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments user data into separate, isolated token identifiers that are stored in distributed systems. Instead of a centralized user profile database that holds comprehensive personal information, the system maintains separate data silos for different user attributes, all linked through opaque tokens. This segmentation allows the system to access and process user information for personalization while keeping the actual data scattered and inaccessible to any single entity, thereby enhancing both personalization capability and user privacy control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the traditional flat user profile structure into a multi-dimensional hierarchical data architecture. User information is organized across multiple layers: top-level tokens for user identification, middle-level encrypted attributes, and bottom-level detailed data stored in distributed systems. This dimensional transformation enables sophisticated personalization queries to traverse multiple layers while maintaining data isolation and user privacy, as each layer can be accessed independently without exposing the complete user profile.
4Ease of operation
If single sign-on mechanisms like OAuth and SAML are used, then authentication convenience is improved, but vulnerability during authentication handoff is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service authentication model where users authenticate directly with the event management system using their unique tokens and cryptographic keys, eliminating the need for third-party authentication providers. The system handles authentication internally using client-side cryptographic verification, removing vulnerable handoff points between multiple authentication services. This self-service approach maintains authentication convenience while securing the authentication process by eliminating intermediate handoff steps where vulnerabilities could arise.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for privacy-preserving event attendance recording is disclosed. The system comprises steps of registering users using biometric samples to compute a Secret-Key (S1), generating a Unique-Number (N1), and applying a Function (F1) to compute a Public-Key (P1). The system further comprises steps of storing the Unique-Number (N1) on a user device and in a data repository, and Public-Key (P1) in a people registry as a base identifier. For event registration, users are authenticated by capturing a real-time biometric sample to generate the Secret-Key (S2), fetching Public-Key (P1), computing a Real-Time-Unique-Number (N2) using Public-Key (P1), Secret-Key (S2), and Function (F1), and comparing the Real-Time-Unique-Number (N2) with the Unique-Number (N1). Upon authentication, users register as supervisor or participant. Attendance is recorded by re-authenticating users and providing an Attendance-Recording-Interface.