Privacy through artificial contextual data generation
AssigneePalo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorsRichard Chow, Philippe J. P. Golle, Runting Shi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and system for protecting privacy by generating artificial contextual data. The system collects real contextual data related to a user. The system then generates artificial contextual data, based on the collected real contextual data. The system also groups the generated contextual data into one or more groups. Each group of contextual data corresponds to a persona that can be presented as the user's persona. Subsequently, the system transmits the generated contextual data to an entity, thereby allowing the user to obscure the real contextual data related to the user.
Claims21
A method for protecting privacy by generating artificial contextual data, comprising:
- collecting real contextual data associated with a user, wherein the collected contextual data includes data indicating one or more of a user activity, a user behavior, a status, and an environment;
- generating artificial contextual data based on the real contextual data related to the user, wherein the artificial contextual data represent happenings in the user's life while obscuring the user's real contextual data;
- grouping the generated contextual data into one or more personas, wherein a respective persona is a group of contextual data which indicates the user's experience;
- and
- transmitting the generated contextual data of a persona to an entity, thereby obscuring the real contextual data related to the user.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for protecting privacy by generating artificial contextual data, the method comprising:
- collecting real contextual data associated with a user, wherein the collected contextual data includes data indicating one or more of a user activity, a user behavior, a status, and an environment;
- generating artificial contextual data based on the real contextual data related to the user, wherein the artificial contextual data represent happenings in the user's life while obscuring the user's real contextual data;
- grouping the generated contextual data into one or more personas, wherein a respective persona is a group of contextual data which indicates the user's experience;
- and
- transmitting the generated contextual data of a persona to an entity, thereby obscuring the real contextual data related to the user.
A computer system that protects privacy through generating simulated contextual data, the system comprising:
- a memory;
- a processor;
- a collecting mechanism configured to collect real contextual data associated with a user, wherein the collected contextual data includes data indicating one or more of a user activity, a user behavior, a status, and an environment;
- a persona-generating mechanism configured to generate artificial contextual data based on the real contextual data related to the user, wherein the artificial contextual data represent happenings in the user's life while obscuring the user's real contextual data;
- a grouping mechanism configured to group the generated contextual data into one or more personas, wherein a respective persona is a group of contextual data which indicates the user's experience;
- and
- a transmitting mechanism configured to transmit the contextual data of a persona to an entity, thereby obscuring the real contextual data related to the user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.