Patent ID: 7913291

Claim:
A method for end user controlled handling of personal data in a communication system including an application unit arranged to communicate with a service broker and a number of data providing units, comprising the steps of: receiving, at a privacy-setting node of the service broker, instructions originating from a primary end user defining a privacy policy for a selected personal data element, including instructions associating at least one possible data providing unit with the selected personal data element; storing the privacy policy in an individual privacy tree for the primary end user in association with the privacy-setting node and comprising hierarchically arranged nodes for personal data elements with associated privacy policies; communicating a request related to at least one personal data element from the application unit to the service broker, said request comprising an identifier of the primary end user to which the requested personal data element(s) relate and a service identifier; and determining, at the privacy-setting node, whether there is a privacy policy defined by the primary end user for the respective requested personal data element(s) by checking the individual privacy tree of the primary end user, and, if there is a privacy policy defined for at least a subset of the requested personal data element(s), further comprising the steps of: selecting, at the privacy-setting node, a respective data providing unit among the possible data providing unit(s) for the requested personal data element(s) with the defined privacy policy; and returning a response message from the privacy-setting node to the application unit, providing access to the requested personal data element(s) with the defined privacy policy at the selected data providing unit(s), wherein the communication system is an open network.