Shared Vehicle User Data Deletion for Secure Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
The sharing of vehicles among multiple users poses challenges in ensuring the secure deletion and management of user data, particularly in rental vehicles, where privacy and data security are compromised due to the lack of control over when and how user data is deleted, and the need for re-synchronization of data when a new user takes over.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for securely deleting user data from a vehicle's memory by utilizing a central server to manage user data, allowing for its storage, deletion, and re-loading, triggered by events such as new user authorization, termination of usage, or unauthorized activity, ensuring that only authorized users can access and use the data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If user data is stored in vehicle memory for multiple users, then data accessibility and convenience are improved, but data security and privacy protection deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments user data into separate stored user data and current user data portions within the vehicle's memory system. This segmentation allows different access controls and deletion policies to be applied to each segment, enabling multiple users to access their own data while preventing unauthorized access to other users' data, thus resolving the contradiction between data accessibility and security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between users and the vehicle's data storage system. The server manages user authentication, authorizes data access, and coordinates data deletion operations. This intermediary layer provides centralized control over data security while maintaining convenient access for authorized users, resolving the security-convenience contradiction.
2Loss of time
If user data is retained in vehicle memory, then user convenience and data availability are improved, but unauthorized access and privacy risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary actions by deleting stored user data automatically when a new user is authorized or when usage terminates. This proactive data deletion prevents unauthorized access and privacy breaches before they can occur, while the system efficiently manages data re-synchronization by only loading necessary data for the current user, thus resolving the contradiction between data retention benefits and security risks.
3Reliability
If centralized server manages user data, then data security control is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the server multi-functional by having it perform multiple roles: user authentication, data access authorization, data deletion coordination, and security monitoring. This universal approach consolidates what could be multiple separate systems into a single server, providing comprehensive data management control while actually reducing overall system complexity compared to distributed security mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
User data stored in memory of a shared vehicle is managed in a secure manner. In some embodiments, user data stored in the vehicle is deleted in response to receiving a communication that initiates closing of usage of the vehicle (e.g., from a client device of a user that is operating the vehicle). A new user of a vehicle is prevented from being able to read or use private data of a prior user. In some embodiments, when authorizing usage of a vehicle by a new user, the vehicle is caused to delete the prior user data. After the prior user data has been deleted, a notification is received from the vehicle confirming that the vehicle has deleted the prior user data.