Token-Based Data Tracker for Merchant Contact Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to effectively prevent personal data breaches during transactions, particularly in tokenization processes, which expose sensitive user information to potential threats.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that involves generating tokens associated with merchant identifiers and user contact information, mapping these to a database, and authorizing or prohibiting communication based on validation, thereby enhancing security and reducing data exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If user contact information is stored and used directly for merchant communications, then communication efficiency is improved, but security and risk of data breaches deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a token as an intermediary element that mediates between the user's contact information and the merchant. Instead of merchants directly storing and using sensitive contact information, they store tokens that reference this information through a secure mapping service. This intermediary token system maintains communication efficiency while eliminating direct exposure of personal data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a functional copy of the contact information in the form of a token. The token contains all necessary routing information to reach the user without containing the actual personal data. This copying approach allows merchants to have a usable representation of contact information that doesn't compromise security.
2Measurement precision
If tokens are mapped to user contact information in a centralized database, then communication routing accuracy is improved, but vulnerability to centralized attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized mapping system into distributed components. Instead of one centralized database that becomes a single point of failure, the mapping information is distributed across multiple servers in a peer-to-peer network. Each server holds a portion of the mapping data, and the system can tolerate failures or attacks on individual nodes while maintaining overall routing accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the structural parameter of the database from centralized to distributed. This fundamental architectural change transforms the system from vulnerable to centralized attacks while preserving the ability to accurately route communications through cryptographic verification and distributed consensus mechanisms.
3Measurement precision
If merchant identifiers are validated through a payment network, then authorization accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary validation where merchant identifiers are verified and tokens are pre-authenticated during the token generation phase. This preliminary action ensures that when communications occur, the authorization is already established, reducing the need for repeated validation and minimizing processing time while maintaining high authorization accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the distributed network of servers maintains and verifies the validity of token mappings through peer validation. This distributed feedback system provides continuous verification without requiring centralized approval for each transaction, thus maintaining authorization accuracy while reducing validation time through parallel verification processes.
Data Source
AI summary
Ethical data tracker systems and methods are disclosed. A payment network computer receives a token request from an application running on a client device. The token request includes user contact information and a merchant identifier. A token server computer generates a token associated with the merchant identifier. The payment network computer maps the token to the user contact information and the merchant identifier, stores the token, the user contact information, and the merchant identifier in a database, and determines a validation of a mapping in the database of a token and a merchant identifier received from a network service provider. The payment network computer authorizes or prohibits the network service provider to communicate with the account holder via the user contact information based on the determining of the validation of the mapping in the database of the token and the merchant identifier received from the network service provider.