Abstract:
A device for generating a virtual network user that can be used, for data protection purposes, as a pseudonym by which a physical person or legal entity can gain access to the Internet and engage services that can be implemented via the network. The network user is defined by a freely specifiable combination of real and/or arbitrarily specifiable attributes. The input of these attributes into the network access device (PC) of the user activates a transformation system which facilitates the generation of the data flows that implement the virtual network user and that can be saved with the temporal sequence of the data flow in a storage device of the transformation system. An access system allocated to an independent authority is provided, which upon activation can initiate the readout of such data from a memory allocated to the storage device of the transformation system.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/EP2010/000392, filed on Jan. 22, 2010, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2009 005 810.9, filed on Jan. 22, 2009, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a device for generating a virtual network user, that, for the purpose of privacy, can be used as a pseudonym under which a physical person or legal entity may gain access to the Internet or a comparable network and engage services that can be implemented via the network, without revealing the identity of the physical person or legal entity concealed behind the pseudonym to third parties who deal with the virtual network user for business or personal relationship purposes, or who do so by snooping on the network. A selectable predetermined combination of attributes, which—in principle—are arbitrarily predetermined, serves to implement the virtual network user. In practice, legal regulations must be met and certain attributes may be required e.g. majority age. These must be combined with real and verifiable attributes. Such a device is, generally speaking, realizable through a transformation system, which can be activated by the input of these attributes into the personal computer of a user and consequently the generation of the virtual network user conveying data streams that are stored in a memory of the transformation system in the order they incurred, so that with the virtual network user contact can be established. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Devices of this kind (David Chaum, “Security without identification: Transaction Systems to make big brother obsolete”, CHCM (28,10), October 1985, pp. 1030-1044; Stuart Stubblebine and Paul F. Syverson, “Authentic attributes with fine-grained anonymity protection”, Financial Cryptography 2000, LNCS serious, Springer-Verlag, 2000), given a careful implementation, have the property to conceal the identity of the user who is behind the pseudonym used as virtual network user, as far as possible, and for this reason the function can provide a “stealth”, under which the identity of the user of the pseudonym is hidden or at least can remain undetected. 
         [0004]    Systems of this kind thus have the advantage that they protect protected physical persons or legal entities against publishing of personal data and properties, or even against harassment or attack efficiently, but also have the disadvantage, that a carrier of such protection deprives the state authority of lawful access and, without fear of sanctions, can develop activities, which can lead to considerable social harm. 
         [0005]    Although it can be assumed that criminal use of such devices cannot remain hidden, and tracing the data track, which is also left by virtual network users, to its creator and thus a prosecution of crime is possible, this undertaking is however so substantially complex that it is no longer proportionate to the reasons of the rule of law, e.g. protecting the public from crime. 
       OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The object of this invention is therefore to design a device of the aforementioned kind such that, with due respect for the interests of the user under pseudonym to keep his identity secret, in case of urgent need, e.g. for the purpose of preventing a crime or its investigation, a reasonable possibility of access for the state authority to the identity of the user of the pseudonym is provided. 
         [0007]    Hereafter—in addition to the user-related transformation system(s)—at least one other similarly structured aforementioned transformation system is provided, that is associated with an independent authority, for example the state law enforcement authority, that can activate this system and thereby initiate the reading of data from a user-related transformation system, namely data containing information about the network access device over which the virtual network user has been accessing the network and is under suspicion of planning or committing illegal acts. 
         [0008]    The implementation of the accessibility of the independent authority, such as law enforcement officers, is simple because of the structural analogy of the access device to the device for generating the virtual network user, and therefore possible to realize with little extra effort and in a cost-effective manner. The inventive design of the device implies a limitation of the user&#39;s interests in anonymity which seems however properly balanced, since this limitation is conditional on constitutional measures that in turn serve a good balance of individual and societal interests. 
         [0009]    In the preferred embodiment of the inventive device according to claim  2 , for the data that after authentication are made available to the independent authority, such as law enforcement, a separate register is provided from where the data foreseen for legal access can be read from memory of the transformation system. 
         [0010]    This is an additional security provided so that the independent authority, can view only those data which are necessary for the investigation of a crime or its prevention, however not highly personal data that are not connected with the crime. 
         [0011]    By a further preferred embodiment of the inventive device according to claim  3 , it can also be used for evidentiary purposes by the user, which controls the virtual network user, when—with a recourse to the actions of the virtual network user—it is proven when and for what purpose they are made. 
         [0012]    It is particularly advantageous if, as provided in claim  4 , the registers, the independent authority can access, are located in separate rooms, from which there is no—physical—access for a person to the memory of a transformation system, which provides, from the perspective of privacy, additional security. 
         [0013]    If in a particularly preferred embodiment an inventive device comprises at least and preferably two transformation systems, which can alternatively operate to generate the virtual network user, a simple time-continuous implementation is possible, where in a purposive embodiment of the alternatively operating transformation systems, only one set of access registers for the various categories of data to which access is available, is provided. 
         [0014]    Herein it may, for reasons of an effective privacy, more precisely to identify a breach of privacy, which may be possible in the course of maintenance as provided in accordance with claim  7 , in the alternative devices generating virtual network users respective data can be a correlated, and, for the case that identical data is simultaneously present in both transformation systems, immediately leads to the discovery of a violation of privacy. 
         [0015]    If, as provided according to claim  8 , the transformation systems of the various devices generating virtual network users are connected through mixing nodes with a plurality of network access devices. These nodes provide the function of a data “mix” through which the origin of the data is disguised for the desired privacy. 
         [0016]    By the features of claim  9  with respect to the independent authority that—in a narrow range defined by the law—is supposed to be able to gain access to user-characteristic data, and by the features of claim  10  with respect to the user, who wants to operate as legally permissible in the network and thereby remain anonymous, simple-to-implement and plausible embodiments of media and readers are given that are assigned to the independent authority or the users respectively, and by the features of claims  11  to  12  simple and practical ways of implementing such devices are specified. 
         [0017]    In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, a mobile reader device is provided, which is coupled to the network access device of the user, e.g. via Bluetooth; 
         [0018]    such a device can be designed for one type of virtual network users, that for example can solely by activated, when the user proves his entitlement, using a fingerprint sensor appropriately or also for multiple virtual network user roles to which a corresponding plurality of storage media—Role Cards—is assigned, which can be housed in a storage area of the reader, so that after a reaction of the fingerprint sensor, all roles are available. 
         [0019]    Further in an advantageous embodiment of the invention an input device is provided by which the virtual network user can be activated alone by control commands the user can enter via an input device, i.e. solely by software means, to allow an activation of a virtual network user, if the said storage media is not available, e.g. has been forgotten or is damaged. 
         [0020]    This invention is also using the inventive device to reliably implement a method for generating a virtual network user, that, for the purpose of privacy, can be used as a pseudonym under which a physical person or legal entity to engage services that can be implemented via the network, as well as with the other, in the preamble of claim  15  said process features, whose main characteristic is that only those data that contains information about the network access device(s) over which the virtual network user(s) got into the network—traffic data—is stored in memories of the transformation systems and is accessible to an independent authority, such as the law enforcement authority, whereas storage of the role data that is generated by all the network activity of the user is in volatile memory of the transformation system, which will be deleted when the users session ends. 
         [0021]    Hereby with technical means a high level of privacy is achieved. 
         [0022]    It is particularly advantageous here if, as in claim  16 , the data concerning the virtual network user—role data, on the one hand, and the data concerning the user—traffic data, on the other hand, are encrypted with different keys. 
         [0023]    A particularly high degree of security against unauthorized access to personal data can be achieved if, as proposed in claim  17 , the key, which allows reading the role data, is entered into the transmission system for each session by the user himself. 
         [0024]    This procedure ensures that the operator of the facility  10  has no more data available that would point to the identity of the user. It is impossible in principle that the operator can assume the role of a “Big Brother”, which is thus largely obsolete. 
         [0025]    The inventive device is suitable, thanks to the options given to the user for the generation of different types of virtual network users, to vary the virtual network users between the habitus of an imaginative avatar and a realistic “human” design. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0026]    Further details and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred implementation illustrated in the drawings. 
           [0027]    In the drawings: 
           [0028]      FIG. 1  illustrates a schematically simplified block diagram of an inventive device for generating a virtual network user for explanatory purposes of their function, 
           [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates details of the transformation systems of the device according to  FIG. 1 , also in simplified schematic block diagram representation, 
           [0030]      FIG. 3   a  illustrates a schematically simplified perspective illustration of a device in accordance with the applicable authentication module according to  FIG. 1 , 
           [0031]      FIGS. 3   b  and  3   c  illustrates readers in a corresponding representation to  FIG. 3   a,    
           [0032]      FIG. 3   d  illustrates another reader module functionally corresponding to the reader module of  FIG. 3   b  designed as a mobile device with wireless connection to the network access device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    For the device, designated in  FIG. 1  collectively as  10 , for generating a virtual network user is intended to enable a user of the Internet or a similar network, which is represented schematically in the block diagram representation of  FIG. 1  by the block  11 , to run the data traffic from its network access device, typically a conventional personal computer (PC), under pseudonym, namely to use a virtual network user as a substitute. The purpose of this measure is to protect itself against unwanted communication with other users of the network  11  in that his true identity is hidden from these users. 
         [0034]    For this purpose the device  10  is designed so that a virtual network user will be generated according to the wishes of the user, which, however, before he can be active in the network, has to prove its access permission, e.g. substantiate it by evidence of its legal capacity, in order to satisfy legal requirements. The design of the device  10  also implies that the user agrees that the state authority, of course under the rule of law, has the option to identify the user to pursue investigations if any crimes are committed under the pseudonym, or take preventive measures, if the behavior of the virtual network user raises suspicions of criminal acts. 
         [0035]    To implement this underlying concept of the device  10 , a designated transformation system  12  is functionally inserted between the personal space of the user, represented through its network of access device  17  (its PC) and the network area  11 . The transformation system is operated and controlled by a role provider that provides the user with the service of helping him to create a virtual identity by which it can appear and act in the network. 
         [0036]    The role provider is shown in the simplified block diagram representation of  FIG. 1  by a merely schematically indicated network access unit  13  about which the role provider e.g. can access the transformation system  12  for purposes of monitoring and assurance of its function. In case of need the state authority, which is in turn merely represented by a schematically indicated input device  14 , can access data—in a certain restricted manner—which are storable in a separate register  16  ( FIG. 2 ) of the transformation system  12 , of the category, which allows a conclusion about the identity of the physical person or the legal entity that is registered for the network access device  17  which can be used—by entering control commands in the transformation system  12 —to control the activity of the virtual network user. 
         [0037]    Register  16  is part of a collectively designated storage device  20  ( FIG. 2 ) of the transformation system  12 , whose further explanation uses  FIGS. 2  as explicit reference. 
         [0038]    If required, i.e. law enforcement as a possible representative of the independent authority can request access to data, which is stored in the register  16 . Access can be granted depending on the design of the transformation system  12 , either for the authority directly by its input device  14 , or through the intermediation of the role provider role over its access unit  13 . 
         [0039]    The conception of the natural—real—user in the network  11  quasi representing virtual network user—a role that it plays is provided in the way of a service by a role provider, who offers to the user a selection of roles, by creating a special individual combination of attributes, the virtual network user profile. Here, the “personality” of the virtual network user can be very similar to that of the real user, and a combination of real and verifiable as well as arbitrary attributes, or even, in extreme cases the user can chose attributes completely arbitrarily and correspond to a pseudo-character, immediately recognizable as a product of imagination; nevertheless it can act as a physical person or legal entity. Furthermore, it must be ensured that the state&#39;s authority can exercise its right of access to data, to disclose the physical person or legal entity controlling the virtual network user, given a legitimate interest exists and the users interests and rights are protected within the legally defined scope. 
         [0040]    In a special embodiment of the device generating the virtual network user, the user acquires the role from a role provider, for example in the form of a chip card ( FIG. 3   a ) as storage media  18 , where in machine-readable format the attributes that define the “role identity” of the role, which represent the virtual network users in the network, are assigned and stored. The user also receives a designated reader module  19  ( FIG. 3   b ), which makes the stored ‘roles’ data readable and routable via the network access device  17  of the user, typically the personal computer (PC), to the central transformation system  12  of the device  10 , which ultimately generates the data characterizing the virtual network user. It should be noted at this point that one way of entering data into the roles of the transformation system  12  of the device  10  can be implemented in such a way that at the definition of the attributes of the virtual network user, i.e. at the purchase of a card  18  these attributes characterizing the role, be entered and stored directly in the data transformation system  12  and thereafter activating the virtual network user only requires the insertion of the card  18  into the insertion slot of the reader module  19 , or alternatively in such a way that the above mentioned data, which in their totality represent the role of identity, are read only during the reading operation for the current network access by the transformation system. In both cases, the data is cryptographically protected and stored in the memory  20  of the central transformation system. 
         [0041]    Typically, the record, that is created during the acquisition of the role card  18 , which characterizes the appearance of the virtual network user, comprises beside the role identity and possibly a password also more comprehensive data—in principle, any—freely modular selectable data, characteristic for the user, verifiable data, e.g. biometric data, that was stored, in addition to data already existing on role card  18 , when the card was created and given to the user. The preparation or adaptation for such matter of the reader module  19 , which can be provided as standard equipment by the role provider, can take place during or after preparing the role card, for its delivery to the user at the merely schematically indicated authentication station  21  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Although this station is attributed to the role provider, whose access is revoked, however, in the sense that the contents of a role card issued to the user can not be changed by the provider, which in general also does not know which physical person or legal entity has acquired a certain role. 
         [0042]    In a further register  15  in the storage device  20  of the central access unit  12  on the user request data can be stored, e.g. a combination of verifiable attributes of the user and the timing of activities of the respective virtual network user, and can be viewed on the user request under the mediation of the role provider. 
         [0043]    As evidence of real features of the user, e.g. for the certification of a certain age, the true indication of sex and/or nationality, the authentication station  21  is equipped with an authentication module  22  ( FIG. 3   a ), so designed that on the media  18  data is stored, to certify the fact that both the user as well as the provider-certified person themselves were present at the authentication station  21  and at least one feature has been demonstrated to the certified representative of the role provider, as an verified attribute of the user, or at least as plausibly appearing attribute. 
         [0044]    Such authentication can be realized in a way that e.g. both fingerprints: a fingerprint of the user and a fingerprint of the certified representative of the role provider are stored to the role card  18 . This occurs after the person certified by the role provider has verified the authenticity of the attribute e.g. by inspecting the identity card of the user or buyer of the role and verifying in this example the legal age, e.g. the buyer is older than eighteen years. 
         [0045]    The authentication module  22  of  FIG. 3   a  is a special embodiment in such a way designed so that it is equipped with one insertion slot for the role card  18  of the user and a similarly designed insertion slot for role card  23  of the certified representative; the authentication module  22  is activated when both cards  18  and  23  are inserted into the respectively assigned insertion slots; for further explanation in the selected embodiment the biometric data to be scanned are the fingerprints of both persons. Therefor sensors  24  and  26  in  FIG. 3   a  are needed, merely indicated schematically. 
         [0046]    The thus obtained authentic biometric data, in the example given, together with the data of the certified representative of the role provider are stored in in a designated schematically indicated registers  27  of the transformation system  12 . 
         [0047]    The reader module  19  ( FIG. 3   b ) of the device  10  which is used for the generation of the virtual network user as a pseudonym for the user, is ready-to-use analog to the authentication module  22 , when the role card  18  of the user is plugged in in a slot  28  of the read module  19  and thus the role identity on the network access device  17  can be entered into the transformation system  12  of the device  10 , where the Internet activities of the virtual network user are controlled by the user using the network access device  17 . Also the reader module  19  of the user requires an activation, which takes place when the user actuates a sensor  24  with its fingerprint. 
         [0048]    At the reader  19 , more “blind” pockets for additional role cards  18 / 1 ,  18 / 2  and  18 / 3  are provided, for additional roles and configuration of virtual network users respectively, that can be used as pseudonyms—substitute—by the user. 
         [0049]    Instead of a reading module  19 , as illustrated by  FIG. 3   b , that is connected via a physical data link, such as an electrical or a fiber optic cable to the network access device of the user, also a schematically simplified illustrated mobile reader  119  may be provided that connects via near field radio technology, e.g. Bluetooth. Such a device comprises a special design of a card store collectively denoted  101 , that can hold up to four cards in the particular embodiment shown here, each card hold by a slot  102 . There is a fingerprint sensor  105  provided, at whose touch the use of any inserted role card is authorized. The selection of role, by which the virtual network user appears to the Internet, is done either by means of the Internet access device or by means of a merely schematically indicated selector  106 , which also includes a schematically indicated eject mechanism with levers  104  and footholds  103 , which provides a simple way to remove the role cards from the card insertion slot  102 . According to the embodiment the card positioned in the top slot  102 A is defined as the default role, that is automatically selected and used based on the arrangement of the cards. 
         [0050]    The selection of a different role card to change the role identity can be done by selection elements which are not be shown in embodiment, i.e. can be realized as electronic or electromechanical elements in common ways. 
         [0051]    Also the reader module  31  ( FIG. 3   c ), which is assigned to a representative of the independent—legal—authority, is in the embodiment selected for explanation, equipped with a biometric sensor, for sensing biometric data of an authorized representative of state, particularly a fingerprint sensor  32 , which activates read access to the role card  33  via the device  14  of the independent authority or their representatives can now enter identifying data via the data access unit  12  to enable legal access to the access register  16  that holds the relevant information to disclose the identity of the network access device  17  of the “real” user and thus the user can be seen. 
         [0052]    This access is implemented in detail as follows: 
         [0053]    The authentication process with the activation of the virtual network user leads to a user-to-role mapping, which is stored in the access unit  12 , for example, in a row, the first data block as the role identity, the second data block associated with the user identity, for example the characterizing data of the network access device  17 . Here, the role identity on one hand and the user related relevant traffic data on the other hand are encrypted with different keys. The role provider is, according to this important aspect of the invention, neither able to read the role data, i.e. role identity, nor other data that relates to the user data, i.e. user identity. The role provider is only able to read those data, to authenticate the user, i.e. to recognize the user as legitimate customer, whereby the user can appear even under a pseudonym. 
         [0054]    The key with which the role data can be decrypted is not stored at the role provider, but is entered by the user in the transformation system for every session as a preparation of service usage. The key with which the user data is readable, is only known to the state authority, which in turn is not able to decipher the role identity. If a virtual network user is suspected of having committed a crime, the state authority, such as the prosecutor who is in possession of the key for the user data, can ask the role provider to transfer records linked to the role of the virtual network user into the access register  16 . In this case information becomes readable to the prosecutor necessary to determine at least the network access device  17  used by the actual perpetrator. 
         [0055]    Analogue to this approach, additional access for third parties can be foreseen, to enable the implementation of new services. For example a new service for another service provider, e.g. the verified delivery address can be made available to a logistics company for certain deliveries of purchases made in an “online shop”. 
         [0056]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the special embodiment of the transformation system  12  of an inventive device  10  for generating a virtual network user includes the transformation system with two transformation channels referred here as  34 / 1  and  34 / 2  respectively. These channels are connected via so called virtual private networks  35 /I and  35 /II, each with the authentication module  21  ( FIG. 3   a ), the access device  21  ( FIG. 3   a ) and reader module  19  of the user, as well as the input device  14  ( FIG. 3   c ), which is connected to the reader module  31  for an independent authority. 
         [0057]    These transformation channels  34 / 1  and  34 / 2  are connected to the network via a plurality of network nodes  36 / 1  to  36 / 4  with each other and with other network access devices from other users of the network  11 . The network nodes  36 / 1  to  36 / 4  provide also the function of mix-nodes, in which the data streams are collected, repetitions deleted, data streams recoded and resorted so that the origin of messages is obscured. The mix node thus mediates the function of technical data mix, a mix cascade respectively. 
         [0058]    This type of insertion of the inventive device  10  in the “local” structure of the network  11  results in an increased population in the access area of the virtual network users thus improving protection against unwanted identification. Such an increase in population of the considered network area can also be achieved in a way that the transformation system  12  automatically generates phantom virtual network users corresponding to an increase of the virtual total user population. 
         [0059]    Without loss of generality, we assume that the two transition channels  34 / 1  and  34 / 2  of the transformation system  12  are alternately engaged in the implementation of the user as the virtual network user, e.g. so that always only one of the two channels in terms of generating the virtual network user is active, and both channels alternate in this function, e.g. implement in such a way that they perform alternately for equal periods of time, the transformation function by which the virtual network user is created; it is further assumed that in the event of a malfunction of one channel  34 / 1  or  34 / 2  the other channel  34 / 2  or  34 / 1  takes over immediately the function of the failed channel, so that a time-continuous implementation of the transformation function is guaranteed to the user. Based on this “redundant” design of the transformation unit  12 , the virtual network user&#39;s presence is ensured over time, and disclosure of the true identity of its users avoided from a malfunction of the device  10 . 
         [0060]    Of significance here is that the person who carries out maintenance of one channel of the two transformation channels, has no access to the other active transformation channel which handles all traffic. Therefore in a preferred design of the transformation system  12  according to  FIG. 2 , functional components assigned to each of two transition channels  34 / 1  and  34 / 2  are located in different rooms which are locked against each other. 
         [0061]    In the 2-channel version of the transformation system  12 , it is important that the channels are working strictly alternative, i.e. data, documenting the activity of the virtual network user is generated and stored in only one of the two channels. In an appropriate design of the device  10  therefore all data is stored only transiently in the channels  34 / 1  and  34 / 2  of the transformation system  12 . Accordingly, when a channel of the transformation system is opened by one person for maintenance, before being released into the channel for access, all memory of the channel will be erased with information-free data sets, such as “zeros” (“data flush”). This also applies in case of data that is generally stored within the channels on a non-volatile storage media, i.e. such as a computer hard disk. This can for example be the case at a swap out of content due to insufficient memory from volatile memory to non-volatile storage media (so-called “paging”) or saving the contents of a volatile memory within a channel on non volatile medium in the event of a malfunction in the processor (called “core dump”). 
         [0062]    For related verification of such strict alternative operation, a correlator, which is not shown, is suitable. The correlator is capable of performing a correlation function of generated data from time to time from the two alternative channels that are stored in chronological order. If this correlation leads to a positive result, it is an indication of an at least temporary combination of the two channels with each other and thus an indication of a malfunction or failure of privacy, and a trigger for an inspection of the device  10 .