A fine granularity based user collaboration algorithm for location privacy protection

PLoS One. 2019 Jul 25;14(7):e0220278. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220278. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

As the location trajectory contains more spatial-temporal information about the user, it will be even dangerous for jeopardizing the privacy of the user. In order to cope with the correlation, an algorithm that utilizes the query division had been proposed. In this algorithm, random blocks of query context was used, so as the adversary was obfuscated and difficult to correlate the real result. However, this algorithm fails to dispose the size of each query block, as once same size blocks were obtained by the adversary continuously, so the adversary can regard them as blocks from the same query context, and then obtains the query context to correlate the discrete locations. In view of above conditions, in this paper we propose a fine granularity block division algorithm based on the conception of granularity measurement as well as granularity layer division, so with the help of collaborative users the location privacy of the user will be protected. In this algorithm, the query context will be divided into fine granularity size of information blocks that difficult to be distinguished with others, and then these blocks will be exchanged with other collaborative users to eliminate the difference in block size. In addition, as each block is divided into fine granularity size, the adversary will be difficult to correlate the discrete locations into location trajectory, so the location privacy will be protected. At last, through security analysis and experimental verification, this granularity indistinguishable algorithm is analyzed and verified at both theoretical and practical levels, which further demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm compared with other similar algorithms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Choice Behavior
  • Computer Security
  • Cooperative Behavior*
  • Geographic Information Systems* / standards
  • Humans
  • Information Dissemination
  • Privacy*
  • Social Behavior
  • User-Computer Interface*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by University Nursing Program for Young Scholars with Creative Talents in Heilongjiang Province (project number: UNPYSCT-2017149); Basic scientific research service fee project of Heilongjiang provincial undergraduate universities (2018-KYYWF-0937); the Natural Science Fund of Heilongjiang Province for Outstanding Youth (YQ2019F018); and the Special Doctor Scientific Research Fund Launch Project of Jiamusi University (Research on Privacy Protection of User Collaboration in Location Services). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.