N-4Tk Geolocation Using Dispersed Server Time Measurements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IP geolocation methods are prone to errors due to static databases and violate user privacy by providing precise location data, while alternative GPS-based methods are easily manipulable and not suitable for fraud detection.
Innovation Solution
A new method called N−4Tk space is introduced, using geographically dispersed servers to measure the time it takes for data to travel between locations, adjusting for bandwidth fluctuations, and calculating a risk score by aggregating measurements from multiple servers, which allows for secure and privacy-enhanced geolocation without pinpointing specific locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If IP geolocation databases are manually updated to improve accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-updating by automatically measuring round-trip times to multiple servers and calculating geolocation coordinates without requiring manual database updates. The geolocation database maintains itself through continuous automated measurements and coordinate calculations based on time differential data.
2Measurement precision
If precise IP address geolocation is implemented, then measurement precision is improved, but user privacy is violated
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the necessary geolocation information (general location area) from the precise IP address data without retaining or processing the specific IP address itself. The N-4Tk coordinate system provides location data at the granularity needed for fraud detection while automatically excluding personally identifiable information.
3Measurement precision
If GPS coordinates are used for location tracking, then measurement precision is improved, but security is weakened because the data can be easily manipulated
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces multiple intermediary servers between the user and the geolocation calculation. Instead of relying on self-reported GPS data, the user's location is determined by measuring round-trip times to multiple independent servers, making it computationally infeasible for an attacker to manipulate the results without being detected across all server measurements.
4Reliability
If multiple servers are used to measure travel time for geolocation, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the geolocation measurement process into independent round-trip time measurements to multiple servers, then combines these segmented measurements through coordinate calculation to produce the final geolocation result. This segmentation allows parallel processing and improves reliability through multiple independent data points while managing complexity through modular architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a security and privacy enhanced method for geolocation. The system works by creating a space called the N−4Tk space on top of the Internet by locating N geographically dispersed servers in the Internet and computing as the coordinate for any computing device on the Internet, its distance to the N servers. The distance is computed as the 4Tk distance which is the time taken by a message of size k to travel between two points at a particular time of day. The system can also be used iteratively where each iteration uses a different set of Slaves in order to close in on the user with finer granularity. Interesting benefits of the system include the difficulty for an attacker to misrepresent the location, and also while the system can hone in on a locale for the user it does not violate the user's privacy.