Enhancing user identification with privacy protection across web servers
The technology teaches limiting sharing of visitor identity information across web sites, receiving from a visited web site server in a visitor's browser a page with a privacy script that runs in the browser and interfaces with a privacy ID server and third-party apps that seek visitor identification. The privacy script running in the browser retrieves a first party cookie including a visitor ID, forwards the cookie to the privacy ID server, receives from the privacy ID server, a site-by-app-specific ID for the visited site and one of the apps, and provides respective server site-by-app-specific IDs to respective third-party apps, without providing the visitor ID to the apps, thereby allowing tracking of the visitor on repeat visits to the visited site but not facilitating identification of the visitor across sites. Site-by-app-specific IDs for the visitor are distinct and uncorrelated for among distinct pairs of the web sites and third-party apps.
1 . A method of providing limited sharing of visitor identity information across web sites or web platforms, collectively referred to as the web sites, in response to a request from a web app, application platform, or web page, collectively referred to as the web app, wherein the request is received by a privacy ID server from a browser or app for visiting running on a user's machine, collectively referred to as the browser, the method including:
the privacy ID server, directly or indirectly, receiving from the browser at least part of a first party cookie retrieved by the browser from the user's machine including a visitor ID that applies across web sites, and receiving from the browser a site ID for a web site being visited and an app ID for the web app requesting a site-by-app-specific ID; and
the privacy ID server generating and returning to the browser the site-by-app-specific ID for the visited web site and the web app, wherein site-by-app-specific IDs for the visitor are distinct and uncorrelated among distinct pairs of visited web sites and requesting web apps engaged by the visitor;
wherein the browser is authorized to provide the site-by-app-specific ID to the web app making the request, but not to provide the visitor ID that applies across web sites, thereby allowing tracking of the visitor on repeat visits to the visited web site but not facilitating identification of the visitor across web sites.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie to an intermediate server for forwarding to the privacy ID server and receives from the intermediate server the site-by-app-specific IDs generated by the privacy ID server.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie directly to the privacy ID server and receives, from the privacy ID server, site-by-app-specific IDs.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein sharing of visitor identity information for multiple web sites takes place without reliance on third-party cookies.
5 . A server system including one or more processors and memory coupled to the processors, the memory loaded with instructions that, when executed on the processors, cause the server system to perform the method of claim 2 .
6 . The server system of claim 5 , wherein the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie to an intermediate server for forwarding to the privacy ID server and receives from the intermediate server the site-by-app-specific IDs generated by the privacy ID server.
7 . The server system of claim 5 , wherein the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie directly to the privacy ID server and receives, from the privacy ID server, site-by-app-specific IDs.
8 . The server system of claim 5 , wherein sharing of visitor identity information for multiple web sites takes place without reliance on third-party cookies.
9 . A tangible non-volatile computer readable storage media loaded with instructions that, when executed on a server, cause a server to perform the method of claim 2 .
10 . The tangible non-volatile computer readable storage media of claim 9 , wherein the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie to an intermediate server for forwarding to the privacy ID server and receives from the intermediate server the site-by-app-specific IDs generated by the privacy ID server.
11 . The tangible non-volatile computer readable storage media of claim 9 , wherein sharing of visitor identity information for multiple web sites takes place without reliance on third-party cookies.
12 . A method of providing limited sharing of visitor identity information across web sites or web platforms, collectively referred to as the web sites, in response to a request from a web app, application platform, or web page, collectively referred to as the web app, wherein the request is received by a cryptographic ID server from a browser or app for visiting running on a user's machine, collectively referred to as the browser, the method including:
the cryptographic ID server, directly or indirectly, receiving from a crypto ID script running in the browser at least part of a first party cookie retrieved from the user's machine including a visitor ID that applies across web sites, and receiving from the browser a site ID for a web site being visited and an app ID for the web app requesting a site-by-app-specific ID; and
the cryptographic ID server generating and returning to the crypto ID script the site-by-app-specific ID for the visited web site and the web app, wherein site-by-app-specific IDs for the visitor are distinct and uncorrelated among distinct pairs of visited web sites and requesting web apps engaged by the visitor;
wherein the crypto ID script is authorized to provide the site-by-app-specific ID to the web app making the request, but not to provide the visitor ID that applies across web sites, thereby allowing tracking of the visitor on repeat visits to the visited web site but not facilitating identification of the visitor across web sites.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the crypto ID script running in the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie to an intermediate server for forwarding to the cryptographic ID server and receives from the intermediate server the site-by-app-specific IDs generated by the cryptographic ID server.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the crypto ID script running in the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie directly to the cryptographic ID server and receives the site-by-app-specific IDs from by the cryptographic ID server.
15 . A server system including one or more processors and memory coupled to the processors, the memory loaded with instructions that, when executed on the processors, cause the server system to perform the method of claim 13 .
16 . The server system of claim 15 , wherein the crypto ID script running in the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie to an intermediate server for forwarding to the cryptographic ID server and receives from the intermediate server the site-by-app-specific IDs generated by the cryptographic ID server.
17 . The server system of claim 15 , wherein the crypto ID script running in the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie to the cryptographic ID server and receives the site-by-app-specific IDs from by the cryptographic ID server.
18 . A tangible non-volatile computer readable storage media loaded with instructions that, when executed on a server, cause the server system of claim 15 to perform the method of claim 11 .
19 . The tangible non-volatile computer readable storage media of claim 18 , wherein the crypto ID script running in the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie to an intermediate server for forwarding to the cryptographic ID server and receives from the intermediate server the site-by-app-specific IDs generated by the cryptographic ID server.
20 . The tangible non-volatile computer readable storage media of claim 18 , wherein the crypto ID script running in the browser forwards the at least part of the cookie directly to the cryptographic ID server and receives the site-by-app-specific IDs from by the cryptographic ID server.