Network monitoring

A computer storage medium storing a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method, the method comprising:

• receiving first trace data for a first communications network, the first trace data being associated with information indicative of network activity, the first trace data comprising one or more first attributes, the one or more first attributes being associated to private and/or sensitive data;
• replacing the one or more first attributes in the first trace data with corresponding second attributes to provide second trace data, the second attributes being associated to one or both of less private and sensitive data than the first attributes;
• sending the second trace data to a second node, in the first communications network or in a second communications network, for performing network monitoring;
• receiving, from the second node, first network monitoring information for the first communications network based on the second trace data, the first network monitoring information comprising the one or more second attributes;
• replacing at least one of the second attributes in the first network monitoring information with corresponding third attributes to provide second network monitoring information, wherein the third attributes are based on the first attributes, but are different from the first attributes;
• determining the one or more first attributes in the first trace data to replace based on one or more privacy levels associated with the first trace data;
• and
• sending the second network monitoring information to a third node in the first communications network for outputting to a user.

A first node in a first communications network, the first trace data being associated with information indicative of network activity, the first node comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor such that the first node is configured to:

• receive first trace data for the first communications network, the first trace data comprising one or more first attributes, the one or more first attributes being associated to private and/or sensitive data;
• replace the one or more first attributes in the first trace data with corresponding second attributes to provide second trace data, the second attributes being associated to less private and/or sensitive data than the first attributes;
• send the second trace data to a second node, in the first communications network or in a second communications network, for performing network monitoring;
• receive, from the second node, first network monitoring information for the first communications network based on the second trace data, the first network monitoring information comprising the one or more second attributes;
• replace at least one of the second attributes in the first network monitoring information with corresponding third attributes to provide second network monitoring information, the third attributes being based on the first attributes but are different from the first attributes;
• determine the one or more first attributes in the first trace data to replace based on one or more privacy levels associated with the first trace data;
• and
• send the second network monitoring information to a third node in the first communications network for outputting to a user.