Privacy preserving location tracking
US11966496B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 30, 2021 |
| Grant date | Apr 23, 2024 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 7, 2042 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2221/2111
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method, an apparatus and a computer program for tracking location of users without disclosing Personally Identifiable Information (PII). The method comprises analyzing sequences of location events of a user over time to determine a Point Of Interest (POI) of the user. In response to determining that the POI is PII-revealing POI; obfuscating the POI, by generating a pseudolocation identifier of the POI indicative of a semantic meaning thereof to the user without revealing a geographic location of the POI. The method further comprises generating an anonymized sequence of location events of the user based on the sequence of location events, that comprises the pseudolocation identifier to represent location events associated with the POI, and absent of the geographic location thereof. The anonymized sequence of location events may be provided a third party to analyze behavior of the user without divulging identity of the user.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.