Institutional Data Requests With Nested Encryption and Audit Logs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for retrieving personal data face challenges in ensuring secure and auditable communication between institutions and providers, as they are vulnerable to interception by third parties and lack transparency in data request and delivery processes.
Innovation Solution
A method for encrypted communication using double encryption (transport and content encryption) through a data storage facility that acts as a 'blind' central entity, ensuring only authorized institutions and providers can decrypt messages, with logging and tracing capabilities to maintain transparency and compliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If personal data is transmitted in plain text or with single-layer encryption between institutions and providers, then communication simplicity is maintained, but security against third-party interception deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nested encryption by placing content encryption inside transport encryption layers. The message is first encrypted with the recipient's public key (content encryption), then the encrypted payload is further encrypted with TLS/SSL (transport encryption), creating a nested structure where one encryption layer is embedded within another, similar to nested dolls.
Solution Approach 2:
The data storage facility acts as an intermediary that receives encrypted messages from institutions, stores them securely, and distributes them to providers. This intermediary component enables the system to maintain both security through encryption and auditability through logging, resolving the contradiction between security and operational simplicity.
2Reliability
If a data storage facility acts as a blind central entity with double encryption, then security against unauthorized access is improved, but communication complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the encryption process into two distinct parts: content encryption (using public-private key pairs) and transport encryption (using TLS/SSL). This segmentation allows each layer to serve a specific security function, making the overall system more manageable despite the increased complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The data storage facility serves as a neutral intermediary that handles only encrypted data without the ability to decrypt it. This intermediary architecture enables the system to achieve high security while maintaining operational simplicity, as the intermediary follows predetermined rules for storing and distributing encrypted messages without requiring complex decryption capabilities.
3Loss of information
If all messages are sent exclusively via the data storage device with logging, then transparency and traceability are improved, but communication efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The data storage facility acts as an intermediary that automatically logs all messages passing through it while maintaining transparent operation. The intermediary follows predetermined rules for logging and message distribution, enabling full traceability without requiring active intervention or complex processing at each step, thus minimizing the impact on communication efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service logging where the data storage facility automatically records all incoming and outgoing messages with metadata such as timestamps, sender, and recipient information. This automated self-service approach ensures transparency and traceability without requiring manual intervention, maintaining communication efficiency while achieving full auditability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to methods for encrypted communication in an institutional request system for retrieving personal data (2), wherein said system (1) includes a data storage device (6) and an institution (4) performs the following steps to send a message with a request (7) for personal data (2) to a provider (5), or vice versa: by the sending institution (4) or the sending provider (5): - creating the message, - encrypting the content of the message, wherein the content-encrypted message can only be decrypted by a selected receiving institution (4) or a selected receiving provider (5), - sending the content-encrypted message to the data storage device (6) via transport-encrypted communication, by the data storage device (6): - receiving and storing the content-encrypted message,by the receiving institution (4) or the receiving provider (5): - Retrieving the content-encrypted message via transport-encrypted communication from the data storage facility (6), - Decrypting the message.