Virtual User Identifier for Sensitive Audio Zone Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
In Payment Card Industry (PCI) scenarios, customer data privacy is compromised due to inadequate controls in phone-based customer care systems, leading to data leakage, identity theft, and reputational damage, as agents may misuse sensitive information like credit card numbers during authentication and query processing.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for sensitive information rearrangement that uses a sensitive information processor to generate a virtual user identifier through honey encryption and format-preserving encryption techniques, based on user speech and DTMF tones, to protect sensitive information during transactions and queries, while employing a speech engine for real-time processing and authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If call recording facilities are employed for compliance and training purposes, then training and compliance monitoring is improved, but data leakage risk increases manifold
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual user identifier as an intermediary element between the customer's actual sensitive information and the call recording system. Instead of recording actual credit card numbers and personal information, the system records only the virtual identifier which maps to the real data through encryption. This mediator prevents direct exposure of sensitive data in recordings while maintaining compliance monitoring capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates an encrypted copy of the customer's sensitive information in the form of a virtual user identifier. This copy is what gets recorded and stored, while the original sensitive data remains encrypted and inaccessible to the recording system. The virtual identifier serves as a surrogate that preserves the structure and functionality needed for compliance tracking without containing actual sensitive information.
2Ease of operation
If agents are provided with customer data for authentication and query processing, then service delivery is improved, but misuse of sensitive information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual user identifier acts as a mediator that allows agents to perform authentication and query processing without accessing actual customer sensitive information. The identifier provides the necessary structure and functionality for service delivery while the real data remains encrypted and invisible to agents, eliminating the incentive and opportunity for misuse.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual user identifier is a temporary, single-use encryption key that is generated for each transaction session. It is discarded after use, meaning agents never see or store the actual sensitive data. This disposable approach ensures that even if agents misuse the virtual identifier, the underlying sensitive information remains protected and cannot be exploited.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If web portal network traffic is encrypted for security, then data protection is improved, but IVR-based systems cannot provide the same security level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical approach of encrypting network traffic with a cryptographic approach applied at the data generation level. Instead of relying on encrypted communication channels, the system uses encryption to transform sensitive information into virtual identifiers before the data even enters the system. This substitution provides security regardless of the communication method used, whether web portal or IVR.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for sensitive audio zone rearrangement are provided that protects confidential and sensitive information such as user identifier during query processing and authentication. The sensitive information rearrangement system generates or permutes the actual user identifier in a privacy preserving manner. The sensitive information is extracted from an input being either a speech or DTMF tones, and a virtual user identifier is generated in real time, that is specific to a transaction to be performed, or a query initiation by a user in real-time. The sensitive information is rearranged which can be either DTMF tone or speech of user to generate the virtual user identifier.