Zero-Knowledge Intermediary for Privacy-Preserving Accessibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional data protection systems require users to disclose their disabilities to institutions for modified web-based services, violating privacy and raising concerns about central data access, especially for cognitive and physical limitations.

Innovation Solution

A third-party intermediary and data protection system using zero-knowledge verifiable computing to secure disability information, allowing institutions to provide adapted interfaces without receiving user disability data, ensuring privacy through pre-approved content matching and private content removal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If user disability information is disclosed to institutions for providing modified web-based services, then service adaptability is improved, but user privacy is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice adaptabilityVSAvoiduser privacy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

A third-party intermediary system is introduced between the user and the web-based service institution. This intermediary matches users with pre-approved modified content versions based on their disabilities without revealing the actual disability information to the institution. The intermediary acts as a mediator that enables service adaptation while preserving user privacy by not propagating the disability data back to the service provider.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The disability information is extracted from the user data and processed by the third-party intermediary, while only the matched content version identifiers are returned to the institution. The sensitive disability information is taken out of the data propagation path between user and institution, preventing privacy loss while maintaining service adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of operation

If a central cloud infrastructure stores user profiles for accessibility, then service accessibility is improved, but data security concerns increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice accessibilityVSAvoiddata security

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the user profile data handling by separating the storage of pre-approved modified content versions from the user's actual disability information. The third-party intermediary holds the mapping between disabilities and content versions, while institutions only access the content versions needed for service delivery. This segmentation reduces the security risk by limiting which parties have access to sensitive disability data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Modified content versions are pre-approved and prepared in advance by the third-party intermediary based on various disability types. This preliminary action eliminates the need for institutions to store or process raw disability information, as the matching and adaptation work is completed beforehand by the intermediary system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11316833B2System, method, and recording medium for preventing back propogation of data protection

Publication Date: 2022.04.26 WORKDAY INC

AI summary

A third party intermediary and a data protection method, system, and non-transitory computer readable medium, include executing a program, via the processor, using zero-knowledge verifiable computing to remove private content from a pre-approved version of a content to ensure privacy of a condition of a user from a provider of the content.