Privacy-Aware Content Protection Using Key Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital rights management (DRM) schemes compromise user privacy and anonymity by requiring identification of rendering devices and revealing usage patterns, and fail to prevent unauthorized rendering of content on multiple devices simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that uses asymmetric key pairs and zero-knowledge proof schemes to protect content, allowing it to be rendered on multiple devices while maintaining user privacy and anonymity, by generating unique shares of a private key and detecting attempts to render content on more devices than permitted by a license through identical number representations of a time interval and differing shares.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional DRM schemes require identification of rendering devices or binding of content to rendering devices, then content protection is improved, but user privacy and anonymity are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the private key into multiple shares distributed across different rendering devices. Each device receives a share but cannot decrypt the content alone, thus preventing direct identification of individual devices while maintaining collective access capability. This segmentation approach allows content protection without requiring full device identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a trusted third party (server) as an intermediary that manages the key shares and coordinates decryption. The server receives requests from multiple devices, verifies licensing terms, and distributes appropriate shares without revealing device identities to each other. This intermediary enables content protection while preserving user anonymity through the server's mediating role.
2Reliability
If conventional DRM schemes track user actions and content usage, then content protection is improved, but user privacy is compromised by revealing usage patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tracking function from individual device-level DRM implementations and relocates it to a centralized server that operates independently of device-specific actions. The server receives aggregated share information without accessing detailed usage patterns, thus maintaining content protection while eliminating harmful tracking of individual user behaviors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses key share copying where multiple devices receive copies of partial key information (shares) rather than complete identification data. These copies enable devices to participate in decryption without containing identifiable information about the devices or users, thus protecting content while preserving privacy.
3Reliability
If content is protected against unauthorized rendering on multiple devices, then content protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex decryption key into manageable shares that can be independently managed on each device. Each rendering device only needs to store and process its specific share rather than managing complete encryption logic, thus reducing individual device complexity while maintaining strong content protection through the distributed share system.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system are disclosed for preventing rendering of content at overlapping time periods on more rendering devices than permitted by a license associated with the content.