Systems and methods for enforcing privacy-respectful, trusted communications
Systems, computer-readable media, and methods for improving data privacy/anonymity and data value, wherein data related to a data subject can be used and stored, while minimizing re-identification risk by unauthorized parties and enabling data related to the data subject to be disclosed to an authorized party by granting access only to the data relevant to that authorized party's purpose, time period, place and/or other criterion via the obfuscation of specific data values. The techniques described herein maintain this level of privacy/anonymity, while still empowering Data Subjects, e.g., consumers or customers of such authorized parties, e.g., business entities, by enabling them to request or specify their desired level of engagement with such business entities. Data Subjects may then receive privacy-respectful, trusted communication, e.g., advertising materials, based on their inclusion in dynamically changing cohorts or microsegments (“MSegs”) of individuals sharing similar characteristics and having a sufficient size to satisfy, e.g., “k-anonymity” requirements.
1. A system, comprising:
a communication interface for sending data over a network;
a memory having, stored therein, computer program code; and
one or more processing units operatively coupled to the memory and configured to execute instructions in the computer program code that cause the one or more processing units to:
generate a first dynamically-changing, temporally unique identifier (DDID) for a first data subject, wherein the first DDID is configured to replace a first value related to the first data subject;
determine a first microsegment (MSeg) that the first data subject is included in, wherein inclusion in an MSeg is based, at least in part, on the first data subject sharing one or more similar characteristics with one or more other data subjects in the first MSeg;
generate an association DDID (A-DDID), wherein the A-DDID is used to replace an identifying data element relating to data subjects in the first MSeg;
generate a validation code (VCode), wherein the VCode is used to specify a time period during which the first MSeg is valid;
receive, from a first requestor at a first time, a first request for access to information about data subjects in the first MSeg, including information about the first data subject; and
evaluate the first request based, at least in part, on an authorization of the first requestor and a validity of the VCode.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processing units to:
transmit, to the first requestor, the requested information about the data subjects in the first MSeg only if the evaluation of the first request indicates that the first requestor is authorized and the VCode is valid at the first time.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the requested information transmitted to the first requestor comprises the A-DDID.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the A-DDID is configured to convey a range or association with the identifying data element and its value.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the A-DDID is further configured to impart informational value relating to the data subjects in the first MSeg in a non-identifying manner.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the value of the A-DDID is configured to be refreshed when a change is made to an aspect defining inclusion or exclusion in the first MSeg.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the validity of the VCode is further limited based on geographic-, personal-, or entity-specific conditions.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first request for access to information about data subjects in the first MSeg further comprises a request to present advertising data to data subjects in the first MSeg.
9. A computer-implemented method comprising:
generating a first DDID for a first data subject, wherein the first DDID is configured to replace a first value related to the first data subject;
determining a first MSeg that the first data subject is included in, wherein inclusion in an MSeg is based, at least in part, on the first data subject sharing one or more similar characteristics with one or more other data subjects in the first MSeg;
generating an A-DDID, wherein the A-DDID is used to replace an identifying data element relating to data subjects in the first MSeg;
generating a VCode, wherein the VCode is used to specify a time period during which the first MSeg is valid;
receiving, from a first requestor at a first time, a first request for access to information about data subjects in the first MSeg, including information about the first data subject; and
evaluating the first request based, at least in part, on an authorization of the first requestor and a validity of the VCode.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising:
transmitting, to the first requestor, the requested information about the data subjects in the first MSeg only if the evaluation of the first request indicates that the first requestor is authorized and the VCode is valid at the first time.
11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the A-DDID is configured to convey a range or association with the identifying data element and its value.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the A-DDID is further configured to impart informational value relating to the data subjects in the first MSeg in a non-identifying manner.
13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the value of the A-DDID is configured to be refreshed when a change is made to an aspect defining inclusion or exclusion in the first MSeg.
14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the validity of the VCode is further limited based on geographic-, personal-, or entity-specific conditions.
15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the first request for access to information about data subjects in the first MSeg further comprises a request to present advertising data to data subjects in the first MSeg, the method further comprising:
receiving a request from the first data subject to refuse receiving advertising data from the first requestor; and
notifying the first requestor that the advertising data will not be presented to the first data subject.
16. A non-transitory program storage device, readable by a programmable control device, comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the programmable control device to:
generate a first DDID for a first data subject, wherein the first DDID is configured to replace a first value related to the first data subject;
determine a first MSeg that the first data subject is included in, wherein inclusion in an MSeg is based, at least in part, on the first data subject sharing one or more similar characteristics with one or more other data subjects in the first MSeg;
generate an A-DDID, wherein the A-DDID is used to replace an identifying data element relating to data subjects in the first MSeg;
generate a VCode, wherein the VCode is used to specify a time period during which the first MSeg is valid;
receive, from a first requestor at a first time, a first request for access to information about data subjects in the first MSeg, including information about the first data subject; and
evaluate the first request based, at least in part, on an authorization of the first requestor and a validity of the VCode.
17. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 16 , wherein the instructions further cause the programmable control device to:
transmit, to the first requestor, the requested information about the data subjects in the first MSeg only if the evaluation of the first request indicates that the first requestor is authorized and the VCode is valid at the first time.
18. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 17 , wherein the requested information transmitted to the first requestor comprises the A-DDID.
19. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 18 , wherein the A-DDID is configured to convey a range or association with the identifying data element and its value.
20. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 16 , wherein the value of the A-DDID is configured to be refreshed when a change is made to an aspect defining inclusion or exclusion in the first MSeg.
21. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 16 , wherein the validity of the VCode is further limited based on geographic-, personal-, or entity-specific conditions.
22. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 16 , wherein the first request for access to information about data subjects in the first MSeg further comprises a request to present advertising data to data subjects in the first MSeg.
23. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 22 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed, cause the programmable control device to:
receive a request from the first data subject to refuse receiving advertising data from the first requestor; and
notify the first requestor that the advertising data will not be presented to the first data subject.