Management Server Concealing Personal Data in Usage History
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data management systems face challenges in securely transmitting and analyzing usage history data from image forming apparatuses while protecting personal information, as existing methods do not adequately ensure the confidentiality and usability of personal data during statistical processing and analysis.
Innovation Solution
A management server system that conceals personal information in usage history data before transmission to a cloud server, providing a mask key for processing, and subsequently transmits an unmask key to terminals for restoring personal information, ensuring secure data handling and usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If personal information is concealed in usage history data before transmission, then data confidentiality is improved, but data usability for analysis deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary concealment of personal information in usage history data before transmission to the analysis server. The management server conceals personal information in advance by replacing it with masked data (e.g., replacing names with anonymized identifiers), so that when the analysis server receives the data, the personal information is already protected while maintaining the structural integrity needed for statistical analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The management server acts as an intermediary between the terminal device and the analysis server. It receives usage history data containing personal information, conceals the personal information by replacing it with masked data, and then transmits the concealed data to the analysis server. This intermediary role allows the system to protect personal information while enabling the analysis server to perform statistical processing on the masked data.
2Loss of information
If personal information is transmitted to terminal for restoration, then data usability is improved, but security risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the necessary masked data from the concealed usage history data and transmits it to the terminal device for restoration. The management server identifies and extracts the specific masked personal information that needs to be restored, separating it from the rest of the usage history data. This extraction approach minimizes the amount of sensitive information transmitted to the terminal, reducing security risks while maintaining data usability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state of personal information from concealed to restored by transmitting restoration data to the terminal. The management server transforms the concealed personal information back to its original form only when necessary, changing the parameter of information state from masked to unmasked. This parameter change is controlled and selective, occurring only for specific data elements that require restoration, thereby balancing usability needs with security considerations.
Data Source
AI summary
A management server includes a transfer unit and a transmission unit. The transfer unit conceals, in a case where personal information is included in usage history data of an apparatus, the personal information, and transfers the usage history data to a server. The transmission unit transmits, in a case where analysis data of the usage history data is transmitted to a terminal, restoration information for restoring the concealed personal information included in the analysis data to the terminal.