PII Suppression Server for Uninterrupted Call Center Calls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing call center systems face challenges in protecting sensitive data, such as Personally Identifiable Information (PII), from being recorded or improperly stored, leading to consumer privacy concerns and compliance issues with regulations like PCI-DSS, while current methods are costly, difficult to maintain, and susceptible to subversion.
Innovation Solution
A system that suppresses PII data at the call center by intercepting and modifying it before it reaches the call center agent, using a PII Data Suppression Server to identify and replace or mute sensitive information in real-time, without requiring physical termination or additional hardware, and ensuring compliance with regulations by containing the data within a secure network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical interrupt methods are used to block PII data, then data protection is achieved, but communication continuity is lost and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A PII Data Suppression Server is introduced as an intermediary component between the telephone network and call center agents. This server intercepts PII data transmitted during calls and suppresses it before it reaches the agent's system, thereby protecting data without requiring physical interruption of the communication channel. The intermediary approach maintains communication continuity while achieving data protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical interrupt mechanisms with a software-based data suppression system. Instead of using hardware switches or physical line interruptions to block PII data, the system uses a server that processes and suppresses PII data at the protocol level, substituting mechanical/physical methods with information-processing methods.
2Productivity
If PII data suppression is implemented without physical interrupt, then communication continuity is maintained, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The PII data suppression function is extracted from the call center agent's system and placed in a dedicated PII Data Suppression Server. This separation allows the suppression logic to be centralized and specialized, reducing the processing complexity burden on individual agent systems while maintaining continuous communication. The extraction enables independent optimization of the suppression server without affecting the agent endpoints.
3Reliability
If existing PII protection methods are used, then some data security is achieved, but compliance with PCI-DSS and other regulations becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The PII Data Suppression Server is designed to handle multiple types of sensitive data and supports various communication protocols and formats. This universal approach enables the system to comply with multiple regulations (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, GDPR) by suppressing different types of PII data across different scenarios, making the system adaptable to various regulatory requirements without needing separate specialized systems.
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with one embodiment, an apparatus is provided that includes a computer processor coupled with a call center device positioned to receive an input communication containing PII data and originating from a telephone caller, wherein the computer processor implements code to suppress at least a portion of the received PII data without requiring a physical interrupt of the input communication so that the received PII data is not conveyed to a call center agent or to a computer of the call center agent.