Semiotic system and method with privacy protection

1. A method of processing semiotic data, comprising:

receiving semiotic data including at least one data set P;

selecting a function h, and, using a configured computer processor, for at least one of each said data set P to be collected, computing h(P);

destroying said data set P; and

storing h(P) in a database,

wherein said data set P cannot be extracted from h(P),

the method further comprising:

selecting a private key/public key (K, k) once for all cases; and

one of destroying said private key K and sending said private key K to a trusted party; and

choosing said function h as the public encryption function corresponding to k.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said data set P cannot be extracted from h(P), except by the trusted party.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

to determine whether some P′ is a predetermined subject, comparing said h(P′) to available h(P)s; and

determining whether there is a match.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the trusted party comprises a panel of members, and

wherein a secret is shared among the members so that only at least a predetermined number of panel members can reconstitute the secret in its entirety by putting together their share of the secret.

5. A system for processing semiotic data, comprising:

means for receiving semiotic data including a data set P;

means for selecting a function h, and for each said data set P to be collected, computing h(P);

means for destroying said data set P;

means for storing h(P) in a database, wherein said data set P cannot be extracted from h(P);

means for selecting a private key/public key (K, k) once for all cases;

means for one of destroying said private key K and sending said private key K to a trusted party;

means for choosing said function h as a public encryption function corresponding to k; and

to determine whether a data set P′ is a predetermined subject, means for comparing h(P′) to available h(P)s to determine whether there is a match.

6. A system of processing semiotic data as in claim 5 , wherein said semiotic data comprises biometric data.

7. The system according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of said data set P and P′ comprises a personal data set.

8. The system of processing semiotic data as in claim 5 , wherein said data set P cannot be extracted from h(P).

9. The system of processing semiotic data as in claim 5 , wherein said data set P cannot be extracted from h(P), except by the trusted party.

10. The system of processing semiotic data as in claim 5 , wherein the trusted party comprises a panel of members, and

wherein a secret is shared among the members so that only at least a predetermined number of panel members can reconstitute the secret in its entirety by putting together their share of the secret.

11. A system for verifying biometric data without storing unencrypted biometric data, comprising:

means for acquiring unencrypted biometric data including at least one data set P;

means for encrypting each said at least one data set acquired to form at least one encrypted data set;

means for destroying the unencrypted data set P;

means for storing each said at least one encrypted data set in a database, wherein unencrypted biometric data is not available nor retrievable from said data stored in said database;

means for selecting a private key/public key (K, k) once for all cases;

means for one of destroying said private key K and sending said private key K to a trusted party;

means for choosing a function h as a public encryption function corresponding to k; and

means for comparing an encrypted data set of a data set P′ to said at least one encrypted data set of data set P to determine whether there is a match and to determine whether the data set P′ is a predetermined subject.

12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein at least one of said data set P and P′ comprises a personal data set.

13. A non-transistory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying a program of recordable, machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method for computer-implemented processing biometric data, said method comprising:

receiving biometric data including a data set P;

selecting a secure hash function h, and for each data set P to be collected, computing h(P);

destroying said data set P;

storing h(P) in a database, wherein said data set P cannot be extracted from h(P) selecting a private key/public key (K, k) once for all cases;

one of destroying said private key K and sending said private key K to a trusted party;

choosing said function h as a public encryption function corresponding to k; and

to determine whether a data set P′ is a predetermined subject, comparing h(P′) to available h(P)s to determine whether there is a match.

14. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13 , wherein at least one of said data set P and P′ comprises a personal data set.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13 , wherein said data set P cannot be extracted from h(P).

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13 , wherein said data set P cannot be extracted from h(P), except by the trusted party.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13 , wherein the trusted party comprises a panel of members, and

wherein a secret is shared among the members so that only at least a predetermined number of panel members can reconstitute the secret in its entirety by putting together their share of the secret.