Distributed Key Management for Encrypted Tracking Device Location
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for secure end-to-end protection of location and identity information for tracking devices, from the point of creation at the tracking device to the centralized tracking server, to ensure privacy and security in tracking device environments.
Innovation Solution
A system that leverages a community of users' mobile devices to locate lost tracking devices using end-to-end encryption and distributed key management, allowing users to share tracking device information securely and privately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If centralized key management is used for tracking devices, then key distribution is simplified, but security and privacy of location information are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The key management system is segmented into multiple distributed key servers instead of a single centralized authority. Each key server holds a portion of the key infrastructure, and keys are distributed through multiple servers working together. This segmentation prevents any single point of failure or compromise while maintaining the ability to distribute keys efficiently across the network.
Solution Approach 2:
A distributed key management system acts as an intermediary layer between tracking devices and location service providers. The key servers mediate key distribution and management operations, enabling secure authentication and encryption without requiring direct trust relationships between all system components. This intermediary structure enhances security while simplifying operations for end users.
2Productivity
If location information is stored centrally, then tracking functionality is improved, but privacy protection is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements local quality by allowing different components to store and process information with different privacy characteristics. Sensitive location data can be encrypted and stored in a distributed manner across multiple servers, while non-sensitive tracking metadata can be stored centrally for operational efficiency. This enables the system to optimize for both tracking functionality and privacy protection in different parts of the architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of data storage from centralized plaintext storage to distributed encrypted storage. By transforming location information into encrypted form and distributing it across multiple key servers, the system maintains the ability to provide tracking functionality when needed while fundamentally changing the privacy characteristics of the stored data. The encryption parameter ensures that even if data is accessed, it cannot be interpreted without proper authorization.
3Reliability
If end-to-end encryption is implemented, then privacy is enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex cryptographic operations and key management logic are extracted from individual tracking devices and mobile applications and consolidated into dedicated distributed key servers. This extraction allows end-user devices to maintain simple, clean interfaces while the heavy lifting of encryption, decryption, and key management is handled by specialized server infrastructure. The complexity is taken out of the user-facing system and placed in the backend infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The distributed key servers provide universal key management services that support multiple functions: key generation, key distribution, encryption, decryption, and authentication. By creating a multi-functional key management infrastructure, the system avoids duplicating cryptographic capabilities across multiple components, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining strong privacy protections throughout the tracking ecosystem.
Data Source
AI summary
A tracking device can provide a hashed identifier to a mobile device, for instance within an advertisement packet. The mobile device can query each of a plurality of entities with the hashed identifier to identify an entity associated with the hash key used to generate the hashed identifier. In some embodiments, the mobile device can query a centralized key server, which in turn can query the plurality of entities to identify the entity associated with the hash key. The mobile device can then receive a public key from the identified entity, can determine a location of the mobile device, and can encrypt the location with the public key. The mobile device can then provide the hashed identifier and the encrypted location to the identified entity, which can provide the encrypted location to an owner of the tracking device for decryption using a private key corresponding to the public key.