Patent ID: 8196212
Filing Date: 2012-06-05
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A personal information management apparatus comprising: an acquisition unit operable to acquire an output request for target information that is information targeted for output; a storage unit operable to store therein (i) information necessary for specifying an individual in correspondence with target value information that includes protection rank information and (ii) a threshold that divides a group of information pieces that can collectively identify the individual and a group of information pieces that cannot collectively identify the individual, the information necessary for specifying the individual being included in the target information, the target value information being information for judging if the target information is to be protected, and the protection rank information indicating a level of confidentiality of the information necessary for specifying the individual; a search unit operable to, in accordance with the protection rank information, search for associated information that includes information identical to the information necessary for specifying the individual; a determination unit operable to, if the associated information is found by the search unit, determine whether the target value information is to be changed, with use of the associated information; a change unit operable to change the target value information to generate changed target value information if a result of the determination by the determination unit is affirmative; an identifiability value determination unit operable to determine, with use of the target value information, an overall identifiability value indicating how easily the individual can be identified; a judgment unit operable to judge whether the target information is to be protected; a protection unit operable to protect the target information if the judgment unit has judged affirmatively; and an output unit operable to output the target information, wherein the judgment unit compares the overall identifiability value to the threshold, and if the overall identifiability value is greater than the threshold, judges that the target information is to be protected, wherein if the judgment unit has judged affirmatively, the protection unit modifies the information necessary for specifying the individual to generate modified information, wherein if the judgment unit has judged affirmatively, instead of the information necessary for specifying the individual, the output unit outputs the modified information, wherein the target value information further includes an identifiability value in correspondence with the information necessary for specifying the individual, wherein the identifiability value determination unit determines the overall identifiability value with use of the identifiability value, wherein the target information includes a plurality of information pieces necessary for specifying the individual, and wherein the identifiability value determination unit determines the overall identifiability value with use of a target value obtained by adding together all of a plurality of identifiability values that are in correspondence with the plurality of pieces of information necessary for specifying the individual.