Encrypted User Identifiers for Privacy-Safe D2D Communication

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Solution Overview

Problem

In existing communication scenarios, particularly in device-to-device (D2D) interactions, the permanent identifier of user equipment is leaked, posing a risk of exposing user privacy.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a secure communication method where user equipment uses an encrypted identifier instead of a permanent identifier in user plane messages, and employs procedures with privacy protection, such as AKMA, to reduce the risk of identifier exposure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a permanent identifier of user equipment is used during device-to-device interaction, then communication between user equipment and application function device can be established, but the risk of leaking user privacy increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication establishmentVSAvoiduser privacy leakage

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an encrypted identifier as an intermediary between the permanent identifier and the communication process. Instead of directly using the permanent identifier during device-to-device interaction, the system first encrypts it to generate an encrypted identifier, which then serves as the mediator for communication establishment. This resolves the contradiction by allowing communication to proceed while preventing direct exposure of the permanent identifier and thus protecting user privacy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing encryption of the permanent identifier before it is used in communication. The encryption operation is executed in advance to generate the encrypted identifier, which is then used during device-to-device interaction. This preliminary protective measure ensures that the permanent identifier is never exposed during communication, thereby resolving the privacy leakage issue while maintaining communication functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If confidentiality protection is activated for communication data, then user privacy is protected, but communication complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoidcommunication procedure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the confidentiality protection mechanism from the overall communication procedure and implements it as a separate, dedicated encryption/decryption module. By isolating the security function, the system can apply strong encryption to protect user privacy while keeping the rest of the communication procedure relatively simple and manageable. This extraction approach resolves the contradiction by providing robust privacy protection without unnecessarily complicating the entire communication system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS12621657B2Secure communication method and device

Publication Date: 2026.05.05 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD

AI summary

A method includes: User equipment determines whether confidentiality protection is activated for communication data between the user equipment and an application function device. The user equipment sends a user plane message to the application function device. The user plane message includes an identifier of the user equipment, and the identifier is an encrypted identifier in a case in which the confidentiality protection is inactivated.