Abstract:
A method is provided for using an identity service for protecting identity information during an electronic transaction. The method includes registering an identity client, wherein the identity client possesses an associated multi-component identity. The method further includes regulating access to the multi-component identity such that the identity service authorizes dissemination of fewer than all components of the multi-component identity to an identity requestor. The invention additionally includes a method for providing client identity repair in order to protect a client from fraudulent distribution of electronically available client identity information. The method for providing repair includes creating a new identity reference upon detection of fraudulent distribution of identity information and tracking attempts to access an old identity reference. The method additionally includes determining if the attempts to access the old identity reference are authorized and re-directing the attempts to the new identity reference if the attempts were authorized and denying access to the new identity reference if the attempts were not authorized. An associated identity service and insurance and repair service are provided to perform these functions.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
         [0001]    Not applicable.  
         STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    Not applicable.  
         FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The present invention relates to the field of electronic transactions and more particularly to techniques for preventing unauthorized use of personal information transferred during the course of an electronic transaction.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    Consumers have become increasingly concerned about distributing personal information over the Internet, especially when the information requested is personally identifiable information (PII) which could be an attractive target for an identity thief. The ease of identity theft in the digital realm has generated concern among the public, including governments, industry, law enforcement and public interest organizations. Merchants, marketing firms, banks, and other institutions maintain large centralized databases that include names, addresses, credit card numbers and other personal information. These databases are potential targets for hackers. The vulnerability of this personal information discourages participation in Internet commerce.  
           [0005]    Consumers may feel particularly vulnerable when engaging in an online transaction involving a plurality of entities. In this instance, the consumer is often required to provide personal information to all of the involved entities. Replicating distribution of the personal information increases the risk of identity theft.  
           [0006]    Identity theft is generally more difficult to detect than other types of theft since an individual may not discover the theft for an extended period of time. Although an identity theft may not be immediately discovered, its effects can be devastating. Credit history and credit ratings can be ruined by identity theft. An individual using a stolen identity can create a criminal record. These records created by fraudulent use of an identity can be difficult to correct.  
           [0007]    Aside from the creation of a fraudulent identity, other unauthorized uses of personal information may also discourage consumers from distributing this information over the Internet. For instance, merchants may share information for the purposes of targeting marketing activities. Consumers may receive unsolicited and unwanted marketing materials and unknown parties may have access to a consumer&#39;s merchandise preferences. This use of personal information may even discourage consumers from providing less intrusive information such as zip code, age and gender, which do not rise to the level of PII.  
           [0008]    Current solutions to the identity theft problem involve keeping consumer information stored in large centralized databases private through hardware and software firewalls or encryption technologies. However if these technologies fail to keep unwanted parties out of the databases, all of the information will be exposed.  
           [0009]    Increasing attention has been given to digital rights management (DRM) through which an individual is able to selectively confer rights to personal information. Another measure for restricting information distribution involves limiting the scope of distributed information such that personally identifiable information (PII) does not include enough information to enable identity theft.  
           [0010]    Another measure that has been used to prevent identity theft is the issuance of a unique purchase number each time a credit cardholder makes an online purchase. This is sometimes referred to as a “single use” credit card number. Increasing attention has been given to digital rights management (DRM) through which an individual is able to selectively confer rights to personal information. Additionally, credit watch services are available to provide email alerts to consumers when a change to a credit report occurs or when a new account is opened.  
           [0011]    The aforementioned solutions do not distribute identity information narrowly for online transactions and further do not provide an effective, overall approach to identity protection that operates both to prevent theft of personal information and to alert a consumer if such a theft occurs. Accordingly, there is a need for a solution which protects personal information used in electronic transactions using a distributed identity model. There is also a need for a comprehensive approach for protecting identity theft in online transactions which includes tracking the consumer&#39;s identity information and alerting the consumer to an identity theft.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for using an identity service for protecting identity information during an electronic transaction. The method includes registering an identity client having a multi-component identity. The method further includes regulating access to the multi-component identity such that the identity service authorizes dissemination of fewer than all components of the multi-component identity to an identity requestor.  
           [0013]    In a further aspect, an identity service is provided for protecting identity information during an electronic transaction. The identity service includes registration tools for registering identity clients and identity requestors. Each identity client is associated with a multi-component identity. The identity service also includes reference tools for creating a unique identity pointer to reference the multi-component identity of each identity client and access distribution logic for regulating access to the multi-component identity such that each registered identity requestor is entitled to access fewer than all components of the multi-component identity.  
           [0014]    In yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to a system for controlling distribution of client identity information during an electronic transaction. The system includes identity request processing tools for processing a request for client identity information from an identity requestor and identity information distribution logic for determining a type of client identity information available to the identity information requestor. The system further includes reference tools for referencing the type of available client identity information and identity information dissemination tools for providing the available type of identity information to the identity requestor.  
           [0015]    In an additional aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for controlling distribution of client identity information during an electronic transaction using an identity service. The method includes receiving an incoming request for client identity information from an identity requestor and determining a subset of client identity information available to the identity requestor. The method additionally includes referencing the available subset of client identity information and disseminating only the available subset of client identity information to the identity requestor.  
           [0016]    In yet a further aspect, the invention is directed to a method for providing client identity repair in order to protect a client from fraudulent distribution of electronically available client identity information. The method includes creating a new identity reference upon detection of fraudulent distribution of identity information and tracking attempts to access an old identity reference. The method further includes determining if the attempts to access the old identity reference are authorized and re-directing the attempts to the new identity reference if the attempts are authorized and denying access to the new identity reference if the attempts are not authorized. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a suitable computing system environment for use in implementing the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system of the invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an identity service in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating identity requestors in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an identity insurance service in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an identity client in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the steps for setting up an identity service in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing steps involved in a process of distributing identity information; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating steps involved in detecting fraudulently distributed information and repairing an identity.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]    [0027]FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system environment  100  on which the invention may be implemented. The computing system environment  100  is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should the computing environment  100  be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operating environment  100 .  
         [0028]    The invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.  
         [0029]    With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system  100  for implementing the invention includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a computer  110  including a processing unit  120 , a system memory  130 , and a system bus  121  that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit  120 .  
         [0030]    Computer  110  typically includes a variety of computer readable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. The system memory  130  includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM)  131  and random access memory (RAM)  132 . A basic input/output system  133  (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer  110 , such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM  131 . RAM  132  typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit  120 . By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates operating system  134 , application programs  135 , other program modules  136 , and program data  137 .  
         [0031]    The computer  110  may also include other removable/nonremovable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only, FIG. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive  141  that reads from or writes to nonremovable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive  151  that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk  152 , and an optical disk drive  155  that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk  156  such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Other removable/nonremovable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive  141  is typically connected to the system bus  121  through an non-removable memory interface such as interface  140 , and magnetic disk drive  151  and optical disk drive  155  are typically connected to the system bus  121  by a removable memory interface, such as interface  150 .  
         [0032]    The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 1, provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer  110 . In FIG. 1, for example, hard disk drive  141  is illustrated as storing operating system  144 , application programs  145 , other program modules  146 , and program data  147 . Note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system  134 , application programs  135 , other program modules  136 , and program data  137 . Operating system  144 , application programs  145 , other program modules  146 , and program data  147  are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter commands and information into the computer  110  through input devices such as a keyboard  162  and pointing device  161 , commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit  120  through a user input interface  160  that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor  191  or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus  121  via an interface, such as a video interface  190 . In addition to the monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers  197  and printer  196 , which may be connected through an output peripheral interface  195 .  
         [0033]    The computer  110  in the present invention may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer  180 . The remote computer  180  may be a personal computer, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer  110 , although only a memory storage device  181  has been illustrated in FIG. 1. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a local area network (LAN)  171  and a wide area network (WAN)  173 , but may also include other networks.  
         [0034]    When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer  110  is connected to the LAN  171  through a network interface or adapter  170 . When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer  110  typically includes a modem  172  or other means for establishing communications over the WAN  173 , such as the Internet. The modem  172 , which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus  121  via the user-input interface  160 , or other appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer  110 , or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates remote application programs  185  as residing on memory device  181 . It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.  
         [0035]    Although many other internal components of the computer  110  are not shown, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that such components and the interconnection are well known. Accordingly, additional details concerning the internal construction of the computer  110  need not be disclosed in connection with the present invention.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating identity service participants in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. An identity service  10 , an identity client  300 , identity requestors  200 , and identity insurance services  400  communicate over a network  500 . The network  500  may be of any type described above with reference to FIG. 1.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 3 illustrates components of the identity service  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The identity service  10  may be implemented using any type of computer as described above with reference to FIG. 1. Regardless of the particular type of computerized device employed, the identity service  10  includes a memory  20 , a processing unit  40 , a user interface  50 , and a network interface  60 . Although it is likely that the identity service would include a plurality of memory storage devices, a generalized memory  20  is shown for simplification. The memory  20  stores registration tools  22 , reference tools  24 , distribution logic  26 , and dissemination tools  28 .  
         [0038]    The registration tools  22  are implemented in order register identity clients  300  and identity requestors  200  with the identity service  10 . Identity clients  300  may be individuals or entities desiring to have their identity information protected by the identity service  10 . The identity requestors  200  are generally entities that are involved in electronic transactions with the identity clients  300  and therefore need access to personal information concerning the identity clients  300  in order to complete the transaction.  
         [0039]    The reference tools  24  create and control a reference to an identity client&#39;s personal information. The personal information typically includes items such as phone numbers, addresses, credit card information, bank account information, and a social security number for the identity client  300 . The personal information may also include other types of information such as purchasing records and preferences or any other information that might be of value to anyone in electronic communication with the identity client  300 . The reference tools  24  preferably create a pointer to the identity information. The identity service  10  is able to access the identity information of the identity client  300  through the use of this pointer. Using a pointer in this manner obviates the need to have a centralized database containing identity information for each identity client  300 . Instead, the identity service stores only references to the identity information for each identity client  300 .  
         [0040]    The identity service  10  additionally includes distribution logic  26 . the distribution logic  26  determines which portion of identity information should be distributed to an identity requestor  200 . Each identity requestor  200  has a need for a limited amount of identity information as will be further explained below with reference to FIG. 4. In this manner, the identity service  10  will use its distribution logic  26  to limit the amount of identity information available to each participant, thereby concealing most components of identity information from the requestors  300  and decreasing the possibility of identity theft.  
         [0041]    The identity service  10  also includes dissemination tools  28  for disseminating information as authorized by the distribution logic  26 . The dissemination tools  28  distribute the authorized information during the course of an electronic transaction or as otherwise authorized by the identity client  300 .  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing exemplary identity requestors  200 . Typically, identity requestors  200  may include a merchant requestor  210 , a credit service provider requestor  220 , and a delivery requestor  230 . The merchant requestor  210  typically has been contacted by the identity client  300  in order to initiate an electronic transaction such as a purchase. The merchant requestor  210  needs to know that the identity client  300  is capable of paying for the intended purchase. Accordingly the identity service  10  may consult a credit service provider requestor  220  to determine whether the identity client  300  has sufficient funds to make the intended purpose. Of course the presence of the credit service provider requestor  220  hinges on the selection of a payment method by the identity client  300 . Alternatively, a bank may be called upon to verify that an identity client&#39;s bank account has sufficient funds to complete the purchase. The delivery requestor  230  may be needed to deliver a purchased item to the address of the identity client  300 . The delivery requestor  230  also registers with the identity service  10  in order to gain access to the information needed from the identity client  300 .  
         [0043]    Although the identity requestors  200  are described above as including a merchant requestor  210 , a credit service provider requestor  220 , and a delivery requestor  230 , other types of identity requestors  200  seeking other types of information may also interact with the identity service  10 . Identity requestors  200  may require age authentication in order to allow an identity client  300  to view requested information, to purchase alcoholic beverages or other items with a minimum age requirement, to receive a senior discount, or any other privileges associated with age. Identity requestors  200  may also include retailers that seek access to size information such as pants size, dress size, shirt size etc. Color and style preferences may also be available to an authorized requestor. The identity service  10 , upon confirming that an identity requestor  200  is authorized, will locate this information using the above-described pointer and will provide the information to the requestor  200 .  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the identity insurance service  400 . If the identity client  300  registers with the identity insurance service  400 , the identity insurance service  400  may agree to perform identity repair upon detection of fraudulently obtained identity information or upon request of the identity client  300 . The identity insurance service  400  may include a processing unit  420 , a network interface  430 , and a user interface  440 . The identity insurance service  400  may include a memory device that stores registration tools  404 , monitoring tools  406 , and repair tools  408 . An identity client uses the registration tools  404  to register for the identity insurance service  400 . Repair tools  406  would typically create a new reference to the identity information upon detection of fraudulently obtained identity information or undesired use of identity information. The monitoring tools  406  may monitor attempts to access the identity information through the old reference. The repair tools  408  would re-direct the authorized attempts to the new reference and deny access to unauthorized attempts.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the identity client  300 . The identity client  300  may include a memory  302  storing identity service registration information  304  and identity insurance registration information  306 . This information should include all necessary information for the identity client  300  to access the identity service  10  and the identity insurance service  400 . The identity client  300  additionally includes a processing unit  310 , a user interface  320 , and a network interface  330 .  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating initial set-up procedures for the identity service  10 . The identity requestors  200  register with the identity service  400  in step A 10 . In step A 20 , the identity clients  300  register with the identity service A 20 . During registration, the identity client  300  provides all of the necessary information for the identity service  400  to create a reference to the identity clients&#39; identity information. In step A 30 , the identity service  400  creates a reference such as a pointer to the identity information associated with the identity client and the process ends in step A 40 . In a similar manner, the identity clients  300  and the identity requestors  200  may also register for the identity insurance service  400  when the service is available.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 8 illustrates a process through which the identity service  10  distributes identity information to identity requestors  200  during an electronic transaction. The transaction could be any electronic transaction, such as an online purchasing transaction, an in-store credit card purchase, an in-store check purchase, or a credit card transaction over the telephone. The process begins in step B 0  and in step B 10 , an identity client  300  seeks service from an identity requestor  200 . Typically, the identity client  300  would accomplish this by accessing a merchant web site or bringing an item to a store register for purchase. In step B 20 , the identity requestor  200  contacts the identity service  10 . Typically, the identity requestor  200  wants to find out if the identity client  300  can pay for the proposed purchase. When contacting the identity service  10 , the identity requestor  200  may attach an information token or digitally watermark the transaction. Performing this function will make detection of fraudulently used or obtained information much simpler since all information would be tagged as arising from a specific transaction or through a specific identity requestor  200 . In other embodiments, the identity service  10 , the identity client  300 , or the identity insurance service  400  may perform the information token or digital watermarking function.  
         [0048]    In step B 14 , the identity service  10  uses its registration tools to determine if the requestor  200  is entitled to the requested information. The identity requestor  200  can only be entitled to the requested information if it has registered with the identity service  10 . In step B 16 , the identity service  10  denies access if the identity requestor  200  is not registered. If the identity requestor  200  is registered to receive identity information, in step B 18 , the identity service  10  uses its distribution logic  26  to determine which identity information is available to the identity information requestor  200 . For instance, a merchant requestor  210  doesn&#39;t need to know the identity client&#39;s address or credit card number. The merchant requestor  210  only needs to know that the identity client  300  can pay for the proposed purchase. Accordingly, in step B 20 , the identity service  10  uses its reference tools  24  to reference information pertinent to the identity client&#39;s payment selection. For instance, the identity service  10  uses the pointer to the client&#39;s identity information to determine whether a credit card company or credit service provider requestor  220  will approve the proposed purchase. In order to determine which information an identity requestor  200  should receive, the distribution logic  26  may access a “class” of requestors such as the requestors  210 ,  220 , and  230  as described above with reference to FIG. 4. Alternatively, the distribution logic may make the determination of which information is available on a transaction-by-transaction basis.  
         [0049]    In step B 22 , the identity service  10  uses its dissemination tools  28  to distribute the acquired information to the identity requestor. For instance the identity service  10  may tell the identity requestor  200  that the identity client is able to charge the proposed amount.  
         [0050]    In step B 24 , the identity service  10  determines if an additional requestor needs identity information. For instance, the delivery service requestor  230  may need the address to deliver the purchased item. Accordingly, the identity service  10  returns to step B 14  to determine if the requestor is authorized and repeats steps B 16 -B 24  as needed until the process ends in step B 30 .  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 9 illustrates a process for implementing identity insurance and repair using the identity insurance service  400 . The process begins at step C 0 , and the identification of a fraudulent use occurs in step C 10 . The detection step may occur through any one of the involved parties including the identity service  10 , the identity insurance service  400 , the identity requestor  200 , and the identity client  300 . In step C 20 , the identity service  10  or the identity insurance service  400  uses the digital watermarking or attached information token to determine a source of the detected information. In step C 30 , the identity insurance service  400  provides repair services by replacing the original pointer to the identity information with a new pointer. In step C 40 , the identity insurance service  400  identifies attempts to access the old pointer. In step C 50 , the identity insurance service determines if these attempts to access the old pointer are valid. If they are valid, the identity insurance service  400  will redirect the attempt to the new pointer in step C 70 . If the attempts are not valid, the identity insurance service  400  will deny access in step C 60  and the process ends in step C 80 .  
         [0052]    The present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its scope. For instance, although the invention is described as having an identity service  10  and an identity insurance service  400 , these components could be combined into one service.  
         [0053]    From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages which are obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated and with the scope of the claims.