US-12619767-B2 - Enhanced method of control or management of user related data subject to user consent

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for supporting user consent management, tracking of user specific data and UE specific data requiring user consent, and distributing information about revocation of the user consent to involved network entities, are provided.

Inventors

• Gerald Kunzmann
• Shubhranshu Singh
• Yannick Lair

Assignees

• NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20210730

Claims (1)

1. 1 . A network apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the network apparatus at least to: control or manage user related data; register with a unified data management (UDM) or data repository to be notified about changes in subscription information related to user consent; track data requests, analytic requests, and data responses that are related to the user consent; obtain or receive a data request from a data consumer, the data request configured to target a data source; store a record about data requested in the data request; check a validity of the user consent by checking with the UDM or data repository to learn about user consent information availability in subscription information, and values of the user consent stored in the UDM or data repository; obtain, based on the data request being subject to user consent, information on whether the user consent is available for user data requested in the data request and valid for user data requested in the data request, wherein the information is obtained by checking the validity of the user consent based on already obtained knowledge from a previous request and a handshake procedure with the data source; allow, based on the user consent being available and valid, the data source to provide a data response with the requested data to the data consumer, serve as a proxy for the data response; wherein the data response comprises a validity time indicating a duration over which the user consent is valid; store the validity time together with the requested data, receive, from the data consumer or the data source, a notification about the requested data or about data that was provided to the data consumer; store a record of the data provided in the data response; receive a notification from the UDM or data repository that the user consent has been updated, changed or revoked by a user, wherein the notification includes information about conditions related to the user consent; determine whether the data consumer is to be notified of the user consent update, change or revocation based on whether the data consumer had received some data that is affected by the user consent update, change or revocation; upon determining that the data consumer is to be notified of the user consent update, change or revocation, notify the data consumers to delete data related to the user that has revoked, changed or updated their consent; receive a confirmation from the data consumer to confirm that the data related to the user that has revoked, changed or updated their consent has been deleted; and update the validity time, wherein the network apparatus comprises a network function (NF), a first data source, a data consumer, a first data collection coordination function (DCCF), a network data analytics function (NWDAF), and a user related data controlling function (URDCF), wherein the network apparatus is configured as a proxy on a data request path, a proxy on a data response path, and a proxy on a data collection path between the data consumer and the data source, and wherein the network apparatus is co-located with a second DCCF and a second data source.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION This application was originally filed as PCT Application No. PCT/EP2021/071430, filed on Jul. 30, 2021, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/064,990, filed on Aug. 13, 2020, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD Some example embodiments may generally relate to mobile or wireless telecommunication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or fifth generation (5G) radio access technology or new radio (NR) access technology, or other communications systems. For example, certain embodiments may relate to systems and/or methods for supporting user consent management, tracking of user specific data and UE specific data requiring user consent, and distributing information about revocation of the user consent to the involved network entities in such communications systems. BACKGROUND Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunication systems may include the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), MulteFire, LTE-A Pro, and/or fifth generation (5G) radio access technology or new radio (NR) access technology. 5G wireless systems refer to the next generation (NG) of radio systems and network architecture. A 5G system is mostly built on a 5G new radio (NR), but a 5G (or NG) network can also build on the E-UTRA radio. It is estimated that NR provides bitrates on the order of 10-20 Gbit/s or higher, and can support at least service categories such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable low-latency-communication (URLLC) as well as massive machine type communication (mMTC). NR is expected to deliver extreme broadband and ultra-robust, low latency connectivity and massive networking to support the Internet of Things (IoT). With IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication becoming more widespread, there will be a growing need for networks that meet the needs of lower power, low data rate, and long battery life. The next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) represents the RAN for 5G, which can provide both NR and LTE (and LTE-Advanced) radio accesses. It is noted that, in 5G, the nodes that can provide radio access functionality to a user equipment (i.e., similar to the Node B, NB, in UTRAN or the evolved NB, eNB, in LTE) may be named next-generation NB (gNB) when built on NR radio and may be named next-generation eNB (NG-eNB) when built on E-UTRA radio. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For proper understanding of example embodiments, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1a illustrates an example block diagram of a user/UE related data control and/or management deployment architecture, according to certain embodiments; FIG. 1b illustrates an example block diagram of a user/UE related data control and/or management deployment architecture, according to certain embodiments; FIG. 2 illustrates an example signaling flow diagram, according to one example embodiment; FIG. 3a illustrates an example signaling flow diagram, according to one example embodiment; FIG. 3b illustrates an example signaling flow diagram, according to one example embodiment; FIG. 3c illustrates an example signaling flow diagram, according to one example embodiment; FIG. 4a illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to one example embodiment; FIG. 4b illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to one example embodiment; FIG. 5 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to one example embodiment; FIG. 6a illustrates an example block diagram of an apparatus, according to one example embodiment; FIG. 6b illustrates an example block diagram of an apparatus, according to one example embodiment; and FIG. 6c illustrates an example block diagram of an apparatus, according to one example embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION It will be readily understood that the components of certain example embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of some example embodiments of systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for tracking the usage of UE specific or user specific data and supporting user consent updates and/or revocation, is not intended to limit the scope of certain embodiments but is representative of selected example embodiments. The features, structures, or characteristics of example embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases “certain embodiments,” “some embodiments,” or other similar language, throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus