Prioritized Identity Questions for Distributed Data Access Deletion

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Solution Overview

Problem

In distributed computing systems, managing user data access and deletion across distinct services with autonomous processing and storage is complex due to varied data formats and handling, making it difficult to fulfill user requests and comply with regulatory requirements.

Innovation Solution

A front-end tool enables users to request data access and deletion through a single interface, using a global identifier for verification, and employs asynchronous API-based messaging to manage requests across distributed service systems, with integrated libraries for data search and deletion, ensuring compliance with regulatory time limits and secure handling of sensitive information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If distributed services autonomously store and process user data in different formats, then service independence and flexibility are improved, but data access and deletion management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice independenceVSAvoiddata access and deletion management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a centralized data access and deletion management system that acts as an intermediary between users and distributed services. This system receives user requests, identifies relevant services through API messaging, coordinates data access and deletion operations across multiple services, and tracks compliance status. The intermediary resolves the contradiction by maintaining service autonomy while providing unified management capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The management system implements universal functionality to handle diverse data formats and service types through standardized API interfaces. It can identify, access, and delete data across different services regardless of their internal data storage formats, providing a unified approach to data management that works across the entire distributed system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of manufacture

If multiple distributed services store user data in different formats, then service-specific processing capabilities are improved, but determining which services store user data becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice-specific processing capabilityVSAvoiddata location identification difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where services report their data storage status and characteristics to the centralized management system through API messaging. The management system uses this feedback to build a comprehensive view of where user data is stored across distributed services, enabling it to identify and locate data regardless of the service-specific formats used.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If deletion requests must be processed by each service individually, then data deletion completeness is improved, but processing time and operational complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata deletion completenessVSAvoiddeletion request processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The management system continuously monitors and coordinates deletion operations across all relevant services simultaneously through asynchronous API messaging. Rather than sequentially processing each service, the system initiates deletion requests to multiple services in parallel and tracks their completion status, reducing overall processing time while ensuring all data is deleted.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary identification of all services that store user data before initiating deletion operations. By pre-mapping the data location across services and preparing deletion requests in advance, the system reduces the actual deletion processing time while ensuring complete data removal from all relevant services.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Productivity

If a centralized system manages data access and deletion across distributed services, then user request fulfillment efficiency is improved, but system integration complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser request fulfillment efficiencyVSAvoidsystem integration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The management system is segmented into distinct functional modules: request reception module, service identification module, coordination module, and compliance tracking module. Each module handles a specific aspect of data access and deletion management through standardized API interfaces, reducing integration complexity while maintaining efficient user request fulfillment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12554812B2Systems and methods for access authentication using prioritized personal information questions for data access and deletion in distributed service systems
Publication Date: 2026.02.17 STRIPE LLC
  • US12554812B2 patent drawing
  • US12554812B2 patent drawing
  • US12554812B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method and apparatus for a distributed service provider system performing authentication for access to, and deletion of, user data, is described. The method may include monitoring service system responses to requests for user data associated with a user identifier. The method may further include ordering the monitored user data based on one or more of a sensitivity level and a veracity level associated with each of the monitored user data, and filtering out user data from the monitored user data that is not suitable for presenting to the user for identity verification. Furthermore, the method can include selecting a subset of the filtered user data for a series of identity verification questions for generating and transmitting, to the user system, a series of security verification questions, each security verification question based on one of the selected subset of the filtered user data.