5,951 research outputs found
Preventing Location-Based Identity Inference in Anonymous Spatial Queries
The increasing trend of embedding positioning capabilities (for example, GPS) in mobile devices facilitates the widespread use of Location-Based Services. For such applications to succeed, privacy and confidentiality are essential. Existing privacy-enhancing techniques rely on encryption to safeguard communication channels, and on pseudonyms to protect user identities. Nevertheless, the query contents may disclose the physical location of the user. In this paper, we present a framework for preventing location-based identity inference of users who issue spatial queries to Location-Based Services. We propose transformations based on the well-established K-anonymity concept to compute exact answers for range and nearest neighbor search, without revealing the query source. Our methods optimize the entire process of anonymizing the requests and processing the transformed spatial queries. Extensive experimental studies suggest that the proposed techniques are applicable to real-life scenarios with numerous mobile users
Shortest Path Computation with No Information Leakage
Shortest path computation is one of the most common queries in location-based
services (LBSs). Although particularly useful, such queries raise serious
privacy concerns. Exposing to a (potentially untrusted) LBS the client's
position and her destination may reveal personal information, such as social
habits, health condition, shopping preferences, lifestyle choices, etc. The
only existing method for privacy-preserving shortest path computation follows
the obfuscation paradigm; it prevents the LBS from inferring the source and
destination of the query with a probability higher than a threshold. This
implies, however, that the LBS still deduces some information (albeit not
exact) about the client's location and her destination. In this paper we aim at
strong privacy, where the adversary learns nothing about the shortest path
query. We achieve this via established private information retrieval
techniques, which we treat as black-box building blocks. Experiments on real,
large-scale road networks assess the practicality of our schemes.Comment: VLDB201
Machine Learning in Wireless Sensor Networks: Algorithms, Strategies, and Applications
Wireless sensor networks monitor dynamic environments that change rapidly
over time. This dynamic behavior is either caused by external factors or
initiated by the system designers themselves. To adapt to such conditions,
sensor networks often adopt machine learning techniques to eliminate the need
for unnecessary redesign. Machine learning also inspires many practical
solutions that maximize resource utilization and prolong the lifespan of the
network. In this paper, we present an extensive literature review over the
period 2002-2013 of machine learning methods that were used to address common
issues in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The advantages and disadvantages of
each proposed algorithm are evaluated against the corresponding problem. We
also provide a comparative guide to aid WSN designers in developing suitable
machine learning solutions for their specific application challenges.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorial
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