Homomorphic Encryption for Privacy-Preserving Ad Targeting

Solution Overview

Problem

The widespread misuse of personal data in digital advertising and other applications raises concerns about privacy, with existing solutions like encryption reducing the value of targeted advertisements and threatening the revenue streams of online providers.

Innovation Solution

A cryptographic anonymization system that uses homomorphic encryption to analyze encrypted user data, allowing for the determination of user preferences and targeted advertising without decrypting personal information, thereby maintaining privacy and revenue streams.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If personal data is encrypted to protect user privacy, then privacy protection is improved, but the ability to perform analytics and targeted advertising deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoidanalytics capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces homomorphic encryption as an intermediary mechanism that enables third-party servers to perform analytics on encrypted data without decrypting it. The encryption scheme acts as a mediator between privacy protection requirements and analytics needs, allowing computations on ciphertexts that yield encrypted results matching plaintext computations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms the state of data from plaintext to homomorphically encrypted ciphertext, changing the parameter of data accessibility. This parameter change enables the data to maintain privacy while still allowing mathematical operations to be performed on it, thus resolving the contradiction between encryption and analytics capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If personal data is made accessible for targeted advertising, then advertising revenue is improved, but user privacy protection deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadvertising revenueVSAvoidprivacy protection

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces homomorphic encryption as an intermediary mechanism that enables third-party servers to perform analytics on encrypted data without decrypting it. The encryption scheme acts as a mediator between privacy protection requirements and analytics needs, allowing computations on ciphertexts that yield encrypted results matching plaintext computations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the traditional mechanical system of data collection and decryption with a cryptographic system based on homomorphic encryption. Instead of collecting plaintext data and processing it directly, the system uses mathematical properties of homomorphic encryption to perform analytics on encrypted data, substituting cryptographic operations for traditional data processing mechanics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If personal data is collected and analyzed by third parties, then advertising effectiveness is improved, but data security and control deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadvertising effectivenessVSAvoiddata security risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces homomorphic encryption as an intermediary mechanism that enables third-party servers to perform analytics on encrypted data without decrypting it. The encryption scheme acts as a mediator between privacy protection requirements and analytics needs, allowing computations on ciphertexts that yield encrypted results matching plaintext computations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables the encrypted data to serve itself by allowing third-party servers to perform analytics directly on the ciphertexts without needing to access or decrypt the underlying personal information. The encrypted data maintains its utility for advertising purposes while inherently protecting user privacy through the mathematical properties of homomorphic encryption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3881263B1System and method for cryptographic anonymization in zero-knowledge advertising

Publication Date: 2025.03.26 RAVEL TECH SARL

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AI summary

A cryptographic anonymization method, apparatus, and system are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a server configured to receive encrypted usage information and an identifier from an application operating on a user terminal and trans-cypher the encrypted usage information from a first encryption scheme to a second encryption scheme to create second encrypted usage information without decrypting the encrypted usage information. The server is also configured to convert and encrypt the identifier to an encrypted unique identifier. The server is further configured to compare the second encrypted usage information to a taxonomy of data labels using rules. For each match of at least some of the second encrypted usage information to a data label, the server is configured to add the encrypted unique identifier to the matching data label. The server uses the data labels and/or the encrypted unique identifier for serving advertisements to the user.