Privacy Negotiation for Network Resource Access Without PII Exposure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for managing privacy settings on websites and online services often result in unexpected loading failures due to users' inability to understand or comply with provider-imposed terms, leading to suboptimal user experiences.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for network resource privacy negotiation that utilizes a privacy negotiator to detect access attempts, transmit requests with varying levels of personally identifiable information, and query users for consent, enabling seamless access while respecting privacy preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users accept default privacy settings set by service providers, then access to network services is granted, but users lose control over their personally identifiable information and privacy preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically transmitting access requests with empty or artificial personally identifiable information before involving the user. This preliminary automation handles the initial privacy negotiation, and only when necessary does it present consent queries to the user, thereby maintaining ease of operation while preserving user control.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users manually configure privacy settings to protect their information, then privacy control is improved, but the complexity and time required to access services increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically managing privacy negotiations between the user's computing device and service providers. The automated system transmits requests, receives responses, and only involves the user when consent is needed, eliminating the time-consuming manual configuration process while maintaining strong privacy control.
3Productivity
If services require genuine personally identifiable information for access, then service functionality is maximized, but user privacy exposure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by using empty or artificial personally identifiable information for initial access attempts. This partial provision of information is sufficient to test service functionality and negotiate privacy preferences, and only genuine personally identifiable information is transmitted when the user explicitly consents, thereby maximizing functionality while minimizing privacy exposure.
4Speed
If automated systems negotiate privacy preferences without user consent, then access speed is improved, but user awareness and control over data usage is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by monitoring service responses to automated requests and using this information to determine when user consent is necessary. The system provides feedback to the user through consent queries that explain what information will be shared and with whom, ensuring user awareness while maintaining fast automated negotiation for routine access scenarios.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for accessing a network resource including detecting an attempt by a user via a computing device to access a service enabled by a computing system via a network and transmitting via the network to the computing system a first request to access the service in response to detecting the attempt by the user to access the service, the first request including at least one empty personally identifiable data structure. A failure to access the service responsive to the first request is determined. A second request to access the service in response to the first failure to access the service is transmitted via the network to the computing system, the second request including artificial personally identifiable information, and access to the service from the computing system is received for the user.