URL Parameter PII Filtering via Uniqueness Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for collecting browse history data often include personally identifiable information (PII) in URL parameters, making it difficult to filter out PII due to varied URL formats across different websites, which poses privacy and compliance issues.
Innovation Solution
A data filtering system that analyzes user session records to identify site-specific or domain-specific URL parameters associated with PII by determining uniqueness scores and using filtering rules to remove or modify these parameters, ensuring privacy compliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If browse history data is collected to analyze user behaviors and generate statistical data, then useful information is obtained, but personally identifiable information (PII) is included in URL parameters creating privacy issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes PII parameters from URLs while retaining the structural information needed for browsing analysis. The system identifies parameters containing PII and separates them from the URL, allowing useful browsing data to be kept while eliminating privacy violations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms URL parameters by modifying their format or content to remove PII while preserving analytical value. Parameters are changed from their original PII-containing form to an anonymized form that maintains the browsing behavior information needed for statistical analysis.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If PII is removed from URLs to protect privacy, then privacy compliance is improved, but the complexity of identifying and filtering PII parameters increases due to varied URL formats across different websites
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal PII identification system that handles multiple URL formats and parameter structures through a single framework. The system is designed to work across different websites and URL conventions, reducing the need for site-specific customization while maintaining effective PII detection and removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically identifies and removes PII parameters without requiring manual configuration for each website. The PII identification and removal process is self-executing, adapting to different URL formats automatically, which reduces operational complexity despite the variety of formats encountered.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If all URL parameters are removed to eliminate PII, then privacy is protected, but valuable browsing behavior data is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent selectively extracts only the PII-containing parameters from URLs, leaving other informative parameters intact. This selective removal approach protects user privacy by eliminating identifiable information while preserving browsing behavior data that does not contain PII.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different treatment to different parts of the URL based on their content characteristics. PII parameters are removed or anonymized, while non-PII parameters are preserved in their original form, creating a locally optimized solution that protects privacy where needed and retains valuable data where safe.
Data Source
AI summary
Processes are disclosed for identifying site-specific or domain-specific URL parameters that are likely associated with personally identifiable information (PII). The processes involve analyzing the browsing session records of multiple users to assess, for a given site or domain, the uniqueness levels of particular URL parameters. These uniqueness levels, alone or in combination with other criteria, are used to determine whether each such parameter is likely associated with PII. The results of this analysis may be used to filter likely PII from session records, such as by modifying and/or deleting the URLs likely to contain PII.