Database Cleanroom ML for Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing database systems face challenges in securely and scalably sharing data between different users while preserving privacy, particularly in the context of machine learning model training and scoring, where malicious entities can exploit unrestricted access to extract sensitive information and perform attacks.

Innovation Solution

The data clean room system enables secure data sharing by allowing parties to train machine learning models on combined data sets using privacy-preserving methods, with capabilities to revoke models unilaterally and share pre-trained models securely without revealing details, while implementing row access policies and approved query statements to restrict data exposure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If data is shared between different users in a database, then data accessibility and collaboration are improved, but security and privacy protection deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata accessibilityVSAvoidsecurity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a data clean room as an intermediary environment that enables secure data sharing between users. The clean room acts as a mediator that allows multiple parties to access and analyze combined datasets without exposing raw data, thus maintaining security while improving accessibility. The system uses controlled query execution and result aggregation to achieve this balance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If unrestricted access to data is allowed for machine learning training, then model training flexibility is improved, but vulnerability to malicious attacks increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemodel training flexibilityVSAvoidvulnerability to attacks
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary anti-action by implementing security controls and access restrictions before machine learning training begins. The system pre-configures the clean room environment with approved query statements and access policies that prevent malicious attacks while allowing legitimate training operations. This proactive security measure blocks potential attacks before they can exploit unrestricted access.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Measurement precision

If detailed data is exposed for analysis, then analytical accuracy is improved, but privacy preservation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveanalytical accuracyVSAvoidprivacy information
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary aggregated results from the data analysis process while leaving the detailed raw data protected within the clean room. The system allows analytical operations to be performed on combined datasets but extracts only high-level statistics and insights, not the underlying detailed records. This enables analytical accuracy while preserving privacy by taking out only what is needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS12530627B2Multi-party machine learning using a database cleanroom
Publication Date: 2026.01.20 SNOWFLAKE INC
  • US12530627B2 patent drawing
  • US12530627B2 patent drawing
  • US12530627B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a data sharing system implemented as a local application in a consumer database of a distributed database. The local application can include a training function and a scoring function to train a machine learning model on provider and consumer data, and generate output data by applying the trained machine learning model on input data. The input data can include data portions from a consumer database and a provider database that are joined to create a joined dataset for scoring.