Patent ID: 7962962
Filing Date: 2011-06-14
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method, in a data processing system, for handling personally identifiable information, said method comprising: providing, in a computer of the data processing system, a first set of object classes, of an object model in an object oriented programming language, representing active entities in an information-handling process; providing, in said computer, a second object class, of the object model, representing personally identifiable information and associated rules in said information-handling process; and processing transactions, in the data processing system, involving said personally identifiable information, using said computer and said first set of object classes and said second object class of the object model, so as to enforce a privacy policy, wherein said rules define if and how said personally identifiable information is provided, by a first data user of the data processing system that previously requested the personally identifiable information from an active entity that is personally identifiable by the personally identifiable information, to a second data user of the data processing system that requests said personally identifiable information from the first data user, wherein said second object class, having said rules associated with said data, represents a filled paper form, including both collected data, collected from the active entity and including the personally identifiable information, and rules regarding said collected data specifying if and how the collected data is provided to the second data user, wherein the second data user sends an empty form including a policy to the first data user requesting the personally identifiable information, and wherein the first data user checks the policy included with the empty form to determine if disclosure of the personally identifiable information is permitted based on the policy included with the empty form and the rules regarding the collected data.