Private information storage system

摘要

This invention relates to a scheme for storage of private information on a cloud computing platform without contravention of territorial privacy laws. A method of anonymising a database of personal data is described whereby data identifiers are assigned to data items and deviation identifiers are assigned to deviations for selected data items derived from reference records. Such information can then be uploaded to a cloud based storage platform. A translation table maps the data items, data identifiers and deviation identifiers to the original data entries. This translation table is stored locally and separate to the anonymised information uploaded to the cloud. The invention further describes a method of decoding the database anonymised according to the above method.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method of anonymising a database of personal data, the database comprising a plurality of data records, each data record comprising a plurality of data items, the method comprising;
for a subset of data items in said data records, determining a deviation of each of said data items in said data records relative to reference data items in a plurality of reference records, wherein one of said plurality of reference records is selected for each one of said data items or subset of data items dependent on a similarity of a said data record to said reference records, wherein determining said similarity comprises:
categorizing said data items in said data records into a plurality of pools based on classification profiles defined by said reference records, wherein a data item similarity of data items in a said pool is above a threshold; andcomparing calculated perturbation profiles of one or more of said data items in a said pool with one or more of said reference data items of said reference records, wherein each of said data items in said data records has a corresponding said reference data item in a said selected reference record according to a said classification profile to determine a said deviation of a said data item relative to a said reference data item in a said selected reference record, assigning deviation identifiers to each of said determined deviations in said data records to identify a said data item being recorded as a said determined deviation to a said reference data item and to anonymise said data items in said subset of data items in said data records; generating a translation table mapping said data items in said subset and said determined deviations to said deviation identifiers; storing said translation table; and storing said deviation identifiers defining said anonymised data items for said data records remotely to said translation table.