Hierarchical Privacy Tagging for Document Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current document management systems use binary privacy protection schemes that fail to account for varying levels of privacy needs within documents, leading to over-protection of non-sensitive information and under-protection of sensitive data, which is inadequate for legal and operational requirements such as HIPAA and GLBA.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allow for multiple levels of privacy management within documents by using a hierarchical privacy level list, enabling users to tag specific elements with different privacy levels, summarize and audit these levels, and redact sensitive information accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If binary privacy protection scheme is used, then document protection is simplified, but information privacy needs are not properly differentiated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the document into multiple elements (text, images, tables, etc.) and applies different privacy levels to each element independently. This allows granular control over privacy protection, moving from a whole-document binary approach to an element-level multi-level approach, thereby resolving the contradiction between simplicity and information differentiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by assigning different privacy levels (e.g., private, confidential, secret, top secret) to different elements within the same document based on their specific sensitivity. This enables each element to have its own privacy characteristics rather than forcing the entire document into a single privacy category, thus differentiating privacy needs while maintaining system manageability.
2Reliability
If binary privacy protection is applied to entire document, then all information is either protected or not, but this causes over-protection of non-sensitive information
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the document into protectable elements and applying privacy levels selectively, the system protects only the sensitive portions while leaving non-sensitive information accessible. This resolves the over-protection issue by enabling differential privacy application across document elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the privacy parameter from a binary state (protected/not protected) to a multi-level state (private, confidential, secret, top secret). This allows nuanced control where each element's privacy parameter can be independently adjusted according to its sensitivity, improving both reliability and operational ease.
3Ease of operation
If binary privacy protection is used, then system operation is simple, but sensitive information may be under-protected
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains ease of operation through automated privacy level assignment based on element identification, while simultaneously improving protection reliability by applying appropriate privacy levels to each element's specific needs. The tag editor automatically tags elements with suitable privacy levels, reducing manual complexity while enhancing protection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by automatically identifying elements and assigning appropriate privacy levels without requiring manual intervention for each element. This maintains operational simplicity while ensuring that sensitive information receives appropriate protection levels based on its characteristics.
4Device complexity
If document-level privacy marking is used, then privacy enforcement is straightforward, but granular privacy control is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the document into segmentable elements that can be independently tagged with different privacy levels. This segmentation enables granular privacy control while keeping the management system relatively simple through automated tagging processes and hierarchical privacy level structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension to privacy control by introducing hierarchical privacy levels (private, confidential, secret, top secret) rather than using a single binary dimension. This multi-dimensional approach provides granular control while maintaining system simplicity through structured level hierarchies and automated assignment.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a method and system to manage multiple levels of privacy in a document having a plurality of elements. In accordance with the method, a selection of a first element in the document is received. The first element is tagged with a selected first privacy level of a hierarchical privacy level list. The list includes a plurality of hierarchical levels of privacy associated with a controlling authority. A selection of a second element in the document is received. The selected second element is tagged with a selected second privacy level of the hierarchical privacy level list.