Purpose Syntax for Federated Identity Consent
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current authentication processes lack a mechanism to specify the purpose of user data usage by relying party applications, leading to potential abuses and inadequate consent mechanisms, especially when using federation protocols like OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0, which do not allow for prescribed and enforced consent during the authentication flow.
Innovation Solution
Introducing a defined syntax or pattern for conveying the purpose of user data usage within the authentication process, allowing the identity provider to obtain user consent before providing an authorization token, ensuring that the service provider uses the data as intended, compatible with existing federation protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If federation protocols (OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0) are used for authentication, then user authentication and data sharing between identity providers and service providers is enabled, but there is no mechanism to specify the purpose of user data usage leading to potential abuses and inadequate consent mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating purpose specification into the authentication request before the authentication process occurs. The service provider includes a purpose parameter in the authentication request to the identity provider, allowing the user to consent to specific purposes of data usage in advance, rather than attempting to control data usage after authentication has already occurred.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by creating a closed-loop authentication process where the purpose specification flows from the service provider to the identity provider, then to the user for consent, and the authentication outcome feeds back to enforce the specified purpose. This feedback mechanism ensures that data usage remains aligned with the consented purpose throughout the authentication workflow.
2Adaptability or versatility
If optional consent steps are added to existing authentication protocols, then user consent for data sharing can be obtained, but the consent mechanism is not prescribed or enforced within the authentication flow itself
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a purpose specification mechanism that works across multiple federation protocols (OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0) without requiring protocol-specific implementations. The purpose parameter can be incorporated into the existing authentication request structures of different protocols, allowing a single consent approach to serve multiple authentication systems universally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the consent mechanism with the authentication flow by combining the purpose specification into the authentication request itself. Rather than adding separate, standalone consent steps, the purpose parameter is integrated into the existing authentication exchange, allowing consent to be obtained as part of the natural authentication process rather than as an additional separate step.
3Loss of information
If purpose specification is incorporated into authentication requests, then user consent can be obtained for specific data usage purposes, but the authentication protocol must support this additional parameter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the authentication request to include an additional purpose parameter. This parameter carries the purpose information from the service provider to the identity provider and user, enabling purpose-specific consent without fundamentally changing the underlying authentication protocol structure. The purpose parameter can be added to existing protocol message formats as an optional element.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments herein describe a pattern or syntax that can be used to convey or express the reason or purpose for a service provider to request user data in an identity federation. A service provider can request user data from the identity provider using an authentication process. If the authentication process is successful, the identity provider provides an authorization token to the service provider which it can use to retrieve the user data. The embodiments herein obtain user consent in the same authentication process used to provide the authorization token. In order to do so, the embodiments herein introduce a pattern or syntax that the service provider uses to convey the purpose for which it wants to use the user data to the identity provider.