Pseudo UE ID for SUPL Location Security
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional UE location determination systems using SUPL are insecure as they transfer location information between the SLC and SPC using a UE ID, potentially exposing user privacy.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that uses a pseudo UE ID instead of a real UE ID for transferring location information between the SLC and SPC, enhancing security by protecting user anonymity and location information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a real UE ID is used for transferring location information between SLC and SPC, then the location determination system can operate and transfer information, but user privacy and location information security are compromised due to potential leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pseudo UE ID as an intermediary element that mediates between the real UE ID and the location information transfer process. The SLC generates a pseudo UE ID that is associated with the real UE ID but does not directly expose it. This pseudo identifier acts as a buffer or mediator, allowing location information to be transferred between SLC and SPC without directly exposing the user's real identification, thus protecting privacy while maintaining system functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the UE ID in the form of a pseudo UE ID that replicates the functionality of the real ID for information transfer purposes but lacks the direct link to user identity. The pseudo UE ID is a copied identifier that can be used in place of the real UE ID for communication between network elements, thereby preventing exposure of the original identifier while maintaining the necessary communication capabilities
2Reliability
If a pseudo UE ID is used instead of real UE ID, then user privacy and location information security are protected, but the system complexity increases due to pseudo ID generation and management
Solution Approach 1:
The pseudo UE ID serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a privacy-protecting identifier, a communication key between SLC and SPC, and a link to the real UE ID for maintaining system operations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate privacy protection mechanisms and simplifies the overall system architecture despite the introduction of pseudo identifiers
3Ease of operation
If location information is transferred using UE ID between SLC and SPC, then the location determination function works, but the connection security is weakened and location information may be exposed
Solution Approach 1:
The pseudo UE ID serves as an intermediary that maintains the ease of operation for location determination while strengthening connection security. It allows the SLC and SPC to communicate effectively as before, preserving the functional simplicity, but does so through a secured channel that uses the pseudo identifier instead of the exposed real UE ID, thereby enhancing connection security
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus are disclosed for providing location information of a User Equipment (UE) in a communication system including the UE, a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Center (SLC), and a SUPL Positioning Center (SPC). The method includes receiving, by the SLC, a request for the location information of the UE from a requester; notifying, by the SLC, the UE that the location information has been requested; transmitting, by the SLC to the SPC, a pseudo IDentifier (ID) for securing a connection between the SPC and the SLC; receiving, by the SLC from the SPC, the location information of the UE with the pseudo ID, the location information of the UE being calculated by the SPC, based on a positioning measurement measured by the UE; and transmitting, by the SLC, the location information to the requester.