We present an iterative algorithm for enforcing policies represented in a
first-order logic, which can, in particular, express all transmission-related
clauses in the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The logic has three features that raise
challenges for enforcement --- uninterpreted predicates (used to model
subjective concepts in privacy policies), real-time temporal properties, and
quantification over infinite domains (such as the set of messages containing
personal information). The algorithm operates over audit logs that are
inherently incomplete and evolve over time. In each iteration, the algorithm
provably checks as much of the policy as possible over the current log and
outputs a residual policy that can only be checked when the log is extended
with additional information. We prove correctness and termination properties of
the algorithm. While these results are developed in a general form, accounting
for many different sources of incompleteness in audit logs, we also prove that
for the special case of logs that maintain a complete record of all relevant
actions, the algorithm effectively enforces all safety and co-safety
properties. The algorithm can significantly help automate enforcement of
policies derived from the HIPAA Privacy Rule.Comment: Carnegie Mellon University CyLab Technical Report. 51 page
