Hosting System Anonymizing Online Interactions via Virtual Identities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals face challenges in maintaining privacy and controlling the dissemination of personal data when engaging with online systems, as existing technologies require substantial effort to anonymize interactions and transactions, and online platforms often exploit personal information for profiling and manipulation.
Innovation Solution
A hosting system that assigns users system personas for accessing online services, allowing financial transactions and data access without revealing personal details, acting as an intermediary to prevent profiling and data exploitation, and providing features like IP address changes and cookie deletion to enhance anonymity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users directly access online services with personal credentials, then they can obtain information and conduct transactions, but their personal information is exposed and can be exploited for profiling and manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an intermediary system consisting of a gateway and virtual identities that mediates between users and online services. The gateway creates virtual identities (aliases) that mask users' real identities, allowing users to access online services without exposing personal information. This intermediary layer enables users to maintain control over their personal data while still accessing needed information and services.
2Reliability
If users employ existing anonymization techniques, then their privacy is protected, but substantial time and effort are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service functionality where the system automatically manages virtual identity creation, IP address masking, and cookie deletion without requiring user intervention. The gateway automatically generates virtual identities, masks IP addresses, and deletes cookies upon user connection, eliminating the need for users to manually perform anonymization tasks while maintaining strong privacy protection.
3Adaptability or versatility
If online platforms collect personal information, then they can provide personalized services, but users are subject to profiling and manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the gateway as an intermediary that prevents online platforms from accessing users' real personal information. The gateway translates between users' real identities and virtual identities, allowing platforms to provide services based on virtual identity data without obtaining access to sensitive personal information. This enables service personalization while preventing harmful profiling and manipulation by blocking platforms from collecting exploitable personal data.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a hosting system that hosts a plurality of computer executable applications wherein the applications are accessible by a plurality of users registered to use the hosted plurality of applications, the hosting system including a user access module enabling individual users to access the hosting system using personal credentials and upon entering valid personal credentials, users are assigned one or more system personas for use when the user executes a hosted application, where the details of the system persona are used in place of the user's personal details when the hosted application accesses any online service external to the hosting system, a purchasing facility enabling registered users to purchase goods and/or services online with funds managed by the hosting system, the users utilising a system persona when accessing external online services and the hosting system effecting financial transactions for and on behalf of registered users thereby retaining the privacy of user's personal details within the hosting system and avoiding divulging user's personal details to any online system external to the hosting system.