Data Virtualization and Fragmentation for User-Controlled Deletion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data storage and ownership models lack user control, leading to unauthorized data use and deletion challenges, as users do not fully own or control their data, which is often stored centrally and can remain available even after deletion requests.
Innovation Solution
Implementing data virtualization and fragmentation techniques that store a minority of user data in private storage areas while the majority is stored centrally, enabling users to control data deletion by invalidating fragments in private storage, thus maintaining ownership and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If data is stored centrally in data collector servers, then data accessibility and processing efficiency are improved, but user control and ownership over the data deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides data into multiple fragments and distributes them between centralized servers and decentralized user storage. Users hold a minority of fragments locally while the majority are stored centrally, allowing efficient processing while maintaining ownership control through the distributed fragment structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a data virtualization layer that acts as an intermediary between users and centralized data storage. This virtualization layer manages the fragmentation and distribution of data, enabling users to maintain control and ownership while allowing centralized servers to process data efficiently.
2Reliability
If data is stored centrally for easy access, then data availability is improved, but complete data deletion by users becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting data into multiple fragments distributed across different storage locations, the patent enables users to delete data by removing only their local fragments. This maintains data availability through the remaining fragments on servers while giving users complete deletion control through the distributed structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring users to delete all data from centralized servers, the patent inverts the approach: users maintain a minority of data locally and delete only their copies, while the centralized servers retain the majority. This inversion gives users deletion control without requiring server-side intervention.
3Ease of operation
If users store all data locally to maintain ownership, then user control is improved, but storage requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data storage between users and centralized servers, with users storing only a minority of data fragments locally. This reduces the storage burden on users while maintaining ownership control through the distributed fragment structure and virtualization layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The data virtualization layer serves as an intermediary that manages the complexity of fragment distribution and retrieval. This virtualization layer abstracts the complex distributed storage structure from users, simplifying their interaction while maintaining ownership control.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for increasing user control of data comprising a first user device configured to create data; a user application configured to virtualize and fragment data created by the first user device; a data collector server configured to store, protect, and composite data fragments; a private user storage area configured to store and protect data fragments; and a second user device connected configured to request data uploaded by the first user device. The first user device creates data that gets sent the user application, which virtualizes, fragments and sends a majority of the data to the data collector servers and a minority of the data to the private user storage area. As a user via the second user device requests the data uploaded by the first user device, the data collector server composites the data fragments and transfers the composited data to the second user device.