Automated Sensitive Data Redaction in Social Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for managing sensitive personal information on social network sites are resource-intensive, time-consuming, and often compromise security or fail to scale with large data volumes, leading to false positives and inefficient data management.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that collects and transmits data to access social network site user accounts, establishes communication links, and transmits instructions to selectively prevent the display or deletion of user account data based on predetermined criteria, optimizing data security and efficiency by reducing unnecessary data flow and processing resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If blacklist techniques are used to identify and delete sensitive content, then data security is improved, but device complexity and false positives increase making them unscaleable for network-wide use
Solution Approach 1:
Users are empowered to autonomously manage their own sensitive data through automated tools that scan, identify, and delete their personal information across the social network. The system performs self-service data management by allowing users to specify criteria (e.g., email addresses, phone numbers) and automatically executing deletion across multiple user accounts without requiring manual intervention or complex centralized blacklist management.
2Reliability
If manual identification and deletion of sensitive data is performed item-by-item, then data security is improved, but loss of time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically scanning and identifying sensitive data patterns across user accounts before deletion is required. Users can pre-configure deletion criteria and the system proactively identifies matching sensitive information in advance, allowing bulk deletion operations to be executed efficiently without time-consuming manual item-by-item review when security incidents occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters from sequential item-by-item processing to parallel batch processing. By transforming the deletion operation into a scalable automated process that handles multiple data objects simultaneously based on user-defined criteria, the system dramatically reduces the time required while maintaining security standards.
3Ease of operation
If all information is allowed to proliferate without reservation, then ease of operation is improved, but data security deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary automated filtering mechanism that sits between data storage and user access. This intermediary tool allows all information to remain accessible to authorized users while simultaneously providing users with the ability to filter, hide, or delete specific sensitive data patterns. The intermediary enables both full accessibility and security control to coexist by implementing automated redaction and selective visibility based on user-defined criteria.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, at a terminal in a digital communications network, comprising: establishing direct or indirect communication access and linkage between the user-operated terminal and at least one remote computer(s) on which are stored, or by which access is available to prevent legible display of, stored user account object data; displaying indicia, or broadcasting data, representative of or indicating one or more predetermined criteria for selecting a subset of the stored user account object data; collecting data, representative of, or indicating, only the subset of the stored user account object data; and transmitting instructions to prevent legible display of the subset of the stored user account object data, according to the collected data representative of, or indicating, the one or more predetermined criteria for selecting the subset of the stored user account object data, from the terminal to the at least one remote computer(s). A terminal, system, and computer readable medium are also disclosed.