Roaming UE Data Privacy Filter for Visited Network Requests
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cellular communication networks face challenges in ensuring user consent and operator policies are enforced when a user equipment (UE) roams to a visited network, leading to potential unauthorized data collection from the UE.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a data privacy filter at the UE level, determined by the home network's database and transmitted securely to the UE, which allows it to determine and control data transmission to network functions in the visited network based on user consent and operator policies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the UE transmits data to network functions in the visited network without a data privacy filter, then data transmission and network operations can proceed smoothly, but user privacy may be compromised and unauthorized data collection may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The data privacy filter is determined and configured in advance by the home network's database before the UE enters the visited network. The filter contains pre-defined rules and parameters that the UE will use to evaluate data collection requests, eliminating the need for complex real-time privacy decision-making mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The data privacy filter acts as an intermediary layer between the UE and network functions in the visited network. It mediates data collection requests by evaluating them against pre-configured privacy rules, allowing the UE to maintain privacy protection without needing complex internal decision-making logic.
2Reliability
If the home network implements strict data privacy filtering, then user consent and operator policies are enforced, but data collection and network operations in visited networks may be restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The data privacy filter applies different evaluation criteria to different types of data collection requests based on their specific characteristics. Instead of uniformly blocking all data collection, the filter evaluates each request against relevant privacy rules, allowing legitimate data collection while blocking unauthorized requests.
Solution Approach 2:
The data privacy filter contains configurable parameters and rules that can be adjusted by the home network to balance privacy protection with data collection needs. By modifying filter parameters, the home network can enforce stricter or more lenient policies depending on operational requirements without changing the overall system architecture.
3Speed
If the UE autonomously determines data transmission without a pre-configured filter, then response time to data requests is faster, but consistency with home network policies cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The data privacy filter is determined and transmitted by the home network's database to the UE in advance, before the UE needs to make data transmission decisions. This preliminary configuration ensures that the UE has the necessary policy information readily available for immediate evaluation of data requests without needing to contact the home network in real-time.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for determining a data privacy filter of a user equipment, wherein the data privacy filter is configured to be used in a visited network by the user equipment to determine whether a request, from a network function in the visited network, to collect data from the user equipment is acceptable and whether the user equipment should transmit said data to the network function and means for transmitting, to the user equipment located in the visited network, the data privacy filter of the user equipment.