Processing personally identifiable information from separate sources

Abstract

A method for data security including receiving, at a server, a record, said record including at least one field for storing personally identifiable information (PII) and querying a structured data store for key information associated with the PII. Then replacing the PII with the key information, altering the key information by combining it with a unique pre-determined modifier, and storing the record wherein the PII includes at least one of a name, social security number, telephone number or address. In some embodiments the key information is numeric and altering includes either adding or subtracting the key information to the unique modifier.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method for improving data security including:
 receiving, at a server, a record, said record including at least one field for storing personally identifiable information (PII);   querying a structured data store for key information associated with the PII;   replacing the PII with the key information;   altering the key information by combining it with a unique pre-determined modifier, and   storing the record.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the PII includes at least one of a name, social security number, telephone number or address. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the key information is numeric. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said altering includes either adding or subtracting the key information to the unique modifier. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further including:
 receiving a second modifier at the server, and 
 altering the key information by combining it with the second modifier. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the unique pre-determined modifier is in the form of a globally unique identifier (GUID) and said altering the key information includes combining with a derivative of the GUID. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the GUID includes hexadecimal notation. 
     
     
         8 . A method for improving data security including:
 receiving, at a server, a record, said record including at least one field for storing personally identifiable information (PII);   receiving, at the server, remote modifier information;   querying a structured data store for key information associated with the PII;   combining the key information and the remote modifier, and   replacing the PII with the combined key information and remote modifier, and   storing the record.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the PII includes at least one of a name, social security number, telephone number or address. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the key information is numeric. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  wherein said combining include hashing the key information and the remote modifier. 
     
     
         12 . One or more processor readable memory devices encoded with non-transitory processor instructions directing one or more processors to perform a method including:
 receiving, at a server, a record, said record including at least one field for storing personally identifiable information (PII);   querying a structured data store for key information associated with the PII;   creating an anonymous identifier in response to said querying, if no anonymous identifier is returned by the query; said anonymous identifier associated with the PII;   substituting the PII in the record with either the created anonymous identifier or the anonymous identifier returned by the query. and   returning the record with the PII replaced.   
     
     
         13 . The devices of  claim 12  wherein the method further includes:
 storing the created anonymous identifier and the PII data in a structured data store. 
 
     
     
         14 . The devices of  claim 12  wherein the anonymous identifier is numeric. 
     
     
         15 . The devices of  claim 12  wherein the method further includes:
 receiving at the server a remote key, wherein said creating an anonymous identifier includes operations with the remote key. 
 
     
     
         16 . The devices of  claim 15  wherein said operations include hashing the remote key with a pre-determined identifier.