Call Center Audio Redaction System for PII Compliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Call centers face significant burdens in data storage and security due to the long-term retention of sensitive audio recordings containing personal identifying information (PII) and medical data, which increases the risk of data breaches and storage costs.
Innovation Solution
A redaction process and system that permanently saves only select audio segments from customer-agent communications, using automated tools to trim and compress data, allowing for the deletion of entire audio files while maintaining compliance with security protocols and reducing storage burdens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If call centers retain all audio recordings for compliance and quality assurance, then data security and compliance requirements are met, but storage costs and data breach risks increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and permanently deletes specific segments of audio recordings that contain sensitive personal identifying information (PII) such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and medical data. Only the necessary confirmatory portions are retained, while the harmful sensitive segments are removed, thus reducing storage volume while maintaining compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments audio recordings into distinct portions: sensitive PII segments are permanently deleted, while non-sensitive confirmatory segments are retained. This segmentation allows the system to keep only the minimum necessary data for compliance and quality assurance, reducing overall storage requirements.
2Quantity of substance
If call centers delete audio files to reduce storage costs, then storage burdens are reduced, but ability to review communications for compliance and quality assurance is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and retains only the essential confirmatory portions of audio recordings that are necessary for compliance verification and quality assurance. By removing unnecessary sensitive segments while keeping the critical confirmatory data, the system maintains reliability with reduced storage volume.
3Reliability
If call centers retain sensitive PII data for confirmatory purposes, then compliance requirements are met, but liability exposure in case of data breach increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of retaining sensitive PII data by permanently deleting it after extraction and confirmation. The system uses the sensitive data only for its intended confirmatory purpose and then eliminates it, transforming the potential harm into a benefit by minimizing liability exposure while maintaining compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent discards sensitive PII data after it has served its confirmatory function. The system recovers only the essential non-sensitive portions needed for compliance, permanently deleting the sensitive segments to reduce liability exposure from data breaches.
Data Source
AI summary
The redaction process/system operates on temporarily captured/saved audio file during an agent-customer-call center (CC) call. Voice-based audio data is captured and processed by monitoring data input from CC-agent into a defined data field (field in a CC-agent-presented form). The redact process generates a start-record time based upon initial data input into the field and further generates an end-of-recording (“EOR”) time for the field. The audio file is filtered and segments are permanently saved audio data (A-data) bounded by the start-record and EOR times. Thereafter, all stored audio data is deleted (preferably crypto-shredded) except the saved A-data to substantially eliminate retrieval of initially stored audio data. An IVR process can be used to trigger record ON/OFF instructions. Audio file segments can be trimmed with precursive and successive time periods to move the start and end times of the audio segments. System Operator sets time-trim periods.