Lawful Interception Identity Obfuscation in 5G Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In 5G telecommunication networks, there is a challenge in protecting the privacy of non-target communicating entities during lawful interception, as their identity information may be inadvertently exposed to law enforcement agencies.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to manage lawful interception information by determining that the identity of a non-target communicating entity should be obfuscated in reports to law enforcement agencies, ensuring that only non-obfuscated identity information of the target communicating entity is provided, while the non-target's identity is protected through omission or hashing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If identity information of non-target communicating entities is included in lawful interception reports, then law enforcement agencies can obtain complete communication data, but privacy of non-target entities is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes identity information of non-target communicating entities from lawful interception reports before submitting to law enforcement agencies. This selective extraction preserves necessary communication data while eliminating privacy-sensitive information, directly resolving the contradiction between information completeness and privacy protection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality treatments to different parts of the data: target entity information is preserved in full quality for law enforcement needs, while non-target entity information is degraded (anonymized) to protect privacy. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing complete information for targets while protecting non-targets
2Object-affected harmful factors
If identity information of non-target communicating entities is obfuscated in reports, then privacy of non-target entities is protected, but law enforcement agencies lose access to complete communication data
Solution Approach 1:
The network operator acts as an intermediary between the interception system and law enforcement agencies, processing reports to obfuscate non-target identity information while preserving communication pattern data. This intermediary function protects privacy while maintaining useful investigative information, resolving the contradiction between privacy protection and information availability
3Reliability
If complete identity information is reported to law enforcement agencies, then investigative capabilities are enhanced, but security and compliance costs for service providers increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary obfuscation of non-target identity information at the source (network operator level) before data reaches law enforcement agencies. This preliminary action reduces the burden on service providers to implement complex security and compliance infrastructure, while still providing law enforcement with sufficient investigative capabilities through preserved communication patterns
Data Source
AI summary
A determination is made that an identity of a non-target communicating entity (102) with which a target communicating entity (101) is communicating, is to be obfuscated in any report of lawful interception of the target communicating entity (101) to a law enforcement agency (131). Lawful interception is performed of the target communicating entity (101) and information pertaining to the lawful interception of the target communicating entity (101) is reported to the law enforcement agency (131). The reported information comprises non-obfuscated identity information of the target communicating entity (101) and obfuscated identity information of the non-target communicating entity (102).