Encrypted Fuzzy Matching for Confidential Data Comparison

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems fail to securely and confidentially share and compare data by matching received records with previously stored data on a one-to-many or many-to-many basis while maintaining confidentiality, and they cannot construct identifiable or related entities or issue messages that maintain security and confidentiality.

Innovation Solution

The method involves receiving records, encrypting identifiers, applying encrypted variants from an encrypted synonym table, and comparing the encrypted records to previously stored data using fuzzy matching, without pre-anonymization variants, to match or associate records while maintaining confidentiality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If data is encrypted before comparison using traditional methods, then confidentiality is maintained, but the ability to perform fuzzy matching and construct identifiable entities is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveconfidentialityVSAvoidmatching capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the comparison process into two distinct phases: (1) comparison phase where encrypted records are compared using fuzzy matching algorithms to identify potential matches, and (2) verification phase where only the encrypted records themselves are decrypted and compared. This segmentation allows fuzzy matching to operate on encrypted data while maintaining confidentiality by limiting decryption to verified matches only.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary fuzzy matching comparisons on encrypted records before any decryption occurs. By conducting the initial screening and identification of potential matches while data remains encrypted, the system eliminates the need to decrypt large volumes of data, thereby maintaining confidentiality while preserving matching capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If pre-anonymization variants are used to enable fuzzy matching, then matching accuracy improves, but data confidentiality is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematching accuracyVSAvoidconfidentiality

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional approach by applying fuzzy matching logic directly to encrypted data rather than creating pre-anonymization variants. Instead of transforming data to enable matching, the system transforms the matching algorithm to work with encrypted data, thereby maintaining confidentiality while achieving accurate matching through cryptographic operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces encrypted synonym tables as an intermediary structure that enables fuzzy matching on encrypted data. These tables contain pre-computed encrypted equivalents of common terms and variations, allowing the matching algorithm to compare encrypted records without exposing plaintext data, thus maintaining confidentiality while improving matching accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If all records are decrypted for comparison, then complete matching capability is achieved, but security vulnerabilities increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematching completenessVSAvoidsecurity vulnerability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial decryption only to records that have been identified as potential matches through encrypted fuzzy matching. Instead of decrypting all records for comparison, the system decrypts only the necessary subset of verified matches, achieving complete matching capability where needed while minimizing security exposure by keeping the majority of data encrypted.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS8204831B2Post-anonymous fuzzy comparisons without the use of pre-anonymization variants

Publication Date: 2012.06.19 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for processing data. The method, apparatus and article of manufacture preferably comprise the steps of: (a) receiving a record having a plurality of identifiers into a computer system, the record corresponding to an entity; (b) encrypting one or more of the identifiers in the record to form an encrypted record; (c) applying one or more encrypted variants to the encrypted record based on the encrypted identifiers and pre-computed encrypted synonyms; and (d) comparing the encrypted record to previously stored data using the encrypted identifiers and the encrypted variants in order to the match or associate the encrypted record with the previously stored data.