Ticket-Based Anonymization Engine for Secure Data Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing information systems require authentication for access to sensitive information, which can deter users from accessing their personal data due to the need for credentials, limiting access and compliance with regulations.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an anonymization engine that generates a ticket-based access system, allowing users to access information without authentication by replacing protected identifiers with mock identifiers, ensuring sensitive information remains protected while providing access to anonymized data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If authentication is required to access protected information, then data security is improved, but user accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments information access into two distinct modes: authenticated access for full protected information and ticket-based access for anonymized information. This segmentation allows different user groups to access appropriate levels of information without requiring all users to undergo authentication, thus improving accessibility while maintaining security for sensitive data.
Solution Approach 2:
Mock identifiers serve as an intermediary between the user and the actual protected identifiers. When users access information via ticket, they interact with mock identifiers that mask the real personally identifiable information. This intermediary layer allows information access while preventing direct exposure of sensitive data, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and security.
2Reliability
If authentication credentials are required, then information security is improved, but user engagement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses disposable tickets with limited validity periods instead of requiring permanent authentication credentials. Users can access information anonymously using these temporary tickets, which expire after a set time or single use. This approach significantly reduces user engagement barriers while maintaining security through the temporary, single-use nature of the tickets.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and separates personally identifiable information from the anonymized view presented to ticket users. By taking out PII and replacing it with mock identifiers, the system allows broad user engagement with health information while extracting the sensitive elements that would require authentication, thus improving engagement without compromising security.
3Loss of information
If protected identifiers are displayed, then information completeness is improved, but privacy protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates and uses mock identifiers as copies that replicate the functional role of protected identifiers without containing the actual personally identifiable information. These mock identifiers maintain the structure and usability needed for information display while being safe copies that cannot be used to identify individuals. This allows complete information display in terms of data structure and relationships while protecting privacy by using fictional placeholder values.
Solution Approach 2:
Mock identifiers act as an intermediary layer between the database containing real protected identifiers and the user interface displaying anonymized information. This intermediary mapping system allows the complete information structure to be preserved and displayed while the actual PII remains hidden in the database, inaccessible to users via the ticket system. The intermediary layer maintains information completeness for analytical purposes while ensuring privacy protection in the displayed output.
Data Source
AI summary
Method, system, and programs provide automatic anonymization of protected data items when a request is associated with authentication via a ticket. Ticket authentication includes sending a ticket to a recipient address. The ticket is included in a request for information. Responsive to receiving a request with a ticket, an example system may determine if the ticket is still valid and, if so, generate mock identifiers for any identifiers in information provided back to the requestor, replace the identifiers with their corresponding mock identifiers, as well as delete any protected information from the information provided back to the requestor. The system may store a mapping of the identifiers with their mock identifiers by session id. These mappings may be deleted after a predetermined time, so that the mapping is valid only for a particular session for a limited time.