Hashing Service for PII Mapping and Privacy Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in protecting personally identifiable information (PII) from unauthorized access and misuse, as they often require sharing sensitive data to function, which can lead to privacy concerns and compliance issues with privacy laws.
Innovation Solution
The technology employs a hashing service to convert PII into a mapping value, allowing systems to reference affiliated data without directly using the actual PII, thereby protecting sensitive information from vulnerabilities and unauthorized access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If PII is shared with third party systems to enable function, then system functionality is improved, but data security and privacy protection deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a third-party mapping service as an intermediary between the data owner and third-party systems. This service provides a mapping table that translates PII to anonymous identifiers without requiring direct sharing of actual PII. The mapping service acts as a mediator that enables system functionality while protecting data security by never exposing the actual PII to third parties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the mapping relationship between PII and anonymous identifiers. Instead of sharing the original PII, the system shares the mapping structure that allows reconstruction of PII only when needed and authorized. This copying approach enables functionality while maintaining security since the actual PII remains stored locally and is not transmitted.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If minimal PII is shared to reduce exposure, then data protection is improved, but identification security deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the parameter used for identification from direct PII values to hashed/encrypted anonymous identifiers. This parameter transformation maintains the ability to identify and match records while ensuring that even minimal shared data cannot be directly used for identification or reconstruction without the mapping service.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the identification process into two separate components: the anonymous identifier that is shared with third parties, and the mapping table that translates this identifier to PII. This segmentation ensures that no single component contains both the identification capability and the PII, thereby maintaining security even when minimal data is shared.
3Ease of operation
If PII is stored and shared directly, then data accessibility is improved, but privacy compliance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mapping service functions as an intermediary layer between data storage and data access. It provides a privacy-compliant interface that translates access requests for PII into requests for anonymous identifiers, thereby maintaining ease of operation for authorized users while ensuring privacy compliance by preventing direct access to PII.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the PII from the data shared with third-party systems. Instead of sharing PII directly, the system extracts only the anonymous identifier and the mapping relationship, separating the sensitive data from the functional data. This extraction maintains data accessibility for authorized operations while eliminating privacy compliance risks associated with direct PII sharing.
Data Source
AI summary
A technology is described for making a decision based on identifying without disclosing the identifying information. The method may include receiving a mapping value that represents identifying information that has been converted into a mapping value. A request for data associated with the identifying information may be made by providing the mapping value as a proxy for the identifying information whereby the data associated with the identifying information may be located using the mapping value and returned to a requesting client or service.