Location Obfuscation via Random Offsets for Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of location-based services have concerns about the privacy and security of their precise location data when transmitting it to third-party service providers, as they have little control over who accesses this data and there is a risk of interception, leading to fewer users utilizing these services.
Innovation Solution
The method involves obscuring the precise location of a client device by calculating a pseudo-location using a precise location and an offset value, which can be randomly generated, ensuring the area is large enough to protect privacy while still enabling effective location-based services, and using a trusted server to further secure the pseudo-location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If precise location data is transmitted to third-party service providers, then location-based services can function effectively, but user privacy and security are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trusted server as an intermediary between the client device and location-based service providers. The trusted server receives precise location data from the client device, obscures it by adding random offsets to generate pseudo-location data, and then transmits the obscured data to service providers. This mediator approach allows location-based services to function while protecting user privacy and security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the precise location data in the form of pseudo-location data. Instead of transmitting the original precise location, the system generates a copied version with added random offsets that preserves the general area information needed for location-based services while removing precise positional information that would compromise privacy.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If location data is obscured to protect privacy, then user security is improved, but service effectiveness may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial obscuring by adding random offsets only to the extent necessary for privacy protection while maintaining sufficient location accuracy for service functionality. The offset values are calibrated to provide adequate privacy protection without completely anonymizing the location data, thus preserving service effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of location data by adding random offsets to latitude and longitude coordinates. This parameter transformation maintains the general spatial relationship needed for location-based services while altering the precise values to protect privacy.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If random offsets are added to precise location, then privacy is protected, but location precision is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different levels of obscuring to different aspects of location data. The random offsets are designed to preserve local quality characteristics that are important for location-based services (such as general area and nearby points of interest) while degrading the precision of exact coordinate values.
Data Source
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AI summary
A location of a client device may be obscured by using generated random offsets and/or a set of regions. In one implementation, the location of a client device may be obscured using a first random offset and a second random offset. A pseudo-location may be determined based on the location of the client device, the first random offset, and the second random offset. The pseudo-location may be transmitted to a third-party for a location-based service. In another implementation, the location of a client device may be obscured using a first random offset and a set of regions. An intermediate location may be determined based on the location of the client device and the first random offset. A region of the set of regions may be determined based on the intermediate location. A pseudo-location may be transmitted to a third-party for a location-based service based on the determined region.