Variable Synthetic Device IDs for Cross-Vendor Privacy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Vendors track device usage through unique device IDs, potentially infringing user privacy and enabling targeted advertising or malicious data exploitation, and existing solutions fail to prevent correlation of synthetic device IDs across different vendors.
Innovation Solution
A system generates and manages synthetic device IDs that are unique and variable, ensuring they have no correlation to actual device IDs, and periodically updates these IDs to prevent tracking and data misuse, using a headend system to manage associations and communications with vendors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vendors use unique device IDs to track device usage, then service delivery and usage profiling are improved, but user privacy is compromised and data security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a headend system as an intermediary between devices and vendors. The headend generates and manages synthetic device IDs, acting as a mediator that prevents direct exposure of real device identifiers to vendors while still enabling service delivery and usage tracking capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates synthetic device IDs that are copies or representations of actual device identifiers. These synthetic IDs replicate the functionality needed for service delivery and usage profiling but are decoupled from the original device IDs, thereby preventing direct privacy infringement while maintaining operational efficiency.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If synthetic device IDs are generated for each vendor, then user privacy is protected, but device complexity and system overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The headend system performs multiple functions: it generates synthetic device IDs, manages the mapping between synthetic and actual device IDs, handles ID updates, and communicates with both devices and vendors. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a single system rather than distributing it across multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of device identification from using actual device IDs to using synthetic IDs generated by the headend. This parameter change allows the system to maintain privacy protection while managing complexity through centralized control of ID generation and management.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If device IDs are periodically updated, then tracking prevention is improved, but service continuity and system reliability may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The headend system maintains a mapping between synthetic device IDs and actual device IDs in advance. Before updating synthetic IDs, the system prepares the mapping relationships, ensuring that service continuity is maintained during transitions. This preliminary preparation of ID mappings prevents service disruptions when IDs are updated.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the headend monitors device communications and updates synthetic IDs based on observed usage patterns and security requirements. This feedback-driven approach allows the system to balance tracking prevention with service continuity by updating IDs strategically rather than arbitrarily.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system, and computer program product to provide a synthetic device ID for a device is provided herein. The method includes receiving a request from the device to obtain a service from a vendor, where the device is associated with an internal device ID. The method further includes generating the synthetic device ID for the device and associating the device, the internal device ID, the vendor, and the synthetic device ID. The method also includes transmitting the synthetic device ID to the vendor, and internally tracking the request based on the association.