18301943. PRIVACY PRESERVING USER PERSONALIZATION USING NOISY RANKING simplified abstract (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)

PRIVACY PRESERVING USER PERSONALIZATION USING NOISY RANKING

Organization Name

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Inventor(s)

Erik Daniel Anderson of Redmond WA (US)

Joseph J. Pfeiffer, Iii of Seattle WA (US)

Denis Xavier Charles of Redmond WA (US)

Aleksandr Rebrikov of Bellevue WA (US)

John Robert Mooring of Bellevue WA (US)

Brandon J. Maslen of Redmond WA (US)

Davis Leland Gilton of Seattle WA (US)

Sergey Yekhanin of Redmond WA (US)

Sivakanth Gopi of Skokie IL (US)

PRIVACY PRESERVING USER PERSONALIZATION USING NOISY RANKING - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18301943 titled 'PRIVACY PRESERVING USER PERSONALIZATION USING NOISY RANKING

The system described in the patent application tracks website usage while protecting user privacy by aggregating data from multiple users and websites. This aggregated data preserves individual user privacy by allowing access to user-specific information without revealing what was collected from each user.

• Aggregates website usage data of multiple users across multiple websites
• Preserves individual user privacy by aggregating data in a way that hides specific user information
• Uses trusted execution environment computing hardware to aggregate user-specific data while maintaining privacy
• Applies differential privacy techniques to ensure that aggregated information does not reveal actual user website usage history
• Enables scenarios that would typically rely on third-party cookies while maintaining user privacy

Potential Applications: - Online advertising targeting - Website analytics - User behavior analysis

Problems Solved: - Protecting user privacy while tracking website usage - Preserving individual user data while aggregating information

Benefits: - Enhanced user privacy protection - More accurate website usage data analysis - Compliance with privacy regulations

Commercial Applications: Title: Privacy-Preserving Website Usage Tracking System This technology could be used by online advertising companies, website analytics firms, and other businesses that rely on tracking user behavior on websites while respecting user privacy. The market implications include improved user trust and compliance with privacy laws.

Questions about the Privacy-Preserving Website Usage Tracking System: 1. How does the system ensure user privacy while tracking website usage? The system aggregates data in a way that hides specific user information, preserving individual privacy. 2. What are the potential commercial applications of this technology? This technology could be used for online advertising targeting, website analytics, and user behavior analysis.

Original Abstract Submitted

Disclosed is a system that tracks website usage without compromising user privacy. The system aggregates website usage data of multiple users across multiple websites. Website usage data is aggregated in a way that preserves each individual user's privacy. Specifically, information relevant to a particular user may be obtained from the aggregated information without exposing what was actually collected from that user. In some configurations, user-specific website usage data is aggregated using trusted execution environment computing hardware. This ensures that privacy is preserved while user-specific data is transferred to and processed by the system. The trusted execution environment applies differential privacy techniques to ensure that use of the aggregated information does not reveal actual information about a user's website usage history. In this way, privacy is maintained while still enabling many of the scenarios that would otherwise rely on third-party cookies.