Systems and methods for audience measurement

Abstract

To provide secure single-source panel audience measurement data while providing confidentiality and security of panel membership, an audience measurement server may capture content identifiers and client identifiers of devices receiving content. A panel provider may generate a probabilistic data structure via a hash of the client identifiers. The audience measurement server may utilize the filter array to extract a subset of measurement data including the data of the panel members, as well as data of some non-panel members as false positives, without being able to distinguish between the members and non-members. The audience measurement server may encrypt the extracted subset of data with each client identifier corresponding to an item of data as a key, and send the encrypted data to the panel provider, thus including both panel and some non-panel data, with the panel provider only able to decrypt data corresponding to its own panel members.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for secure online audience measurement, comprising:
 receiving, by an audience measurement server executed by a first device, a communication transmitted from each of a plurality of client devices, each communication comprising an identification of an item of content and a device identifier of said client device, a first portion of the plurality of client devices operating on behalf of members of a panel measurement service;   receiving, by the audience measurement server from a second device, a request for measurement data of the members of the panel measurement service, the request comprising a probabilistic data structure corresponding to a hash of each device identifier of the first portion of the plurality of client devices;   filtering, by the audience measurement server via the probabilistic data structure, the received communications to select a subset of the received communications including (i) the communications including device identifiers of the first portion of the plurality of client devices and (ii) the communications including device identifiers of a second portion of the plurality of client devices not corresponding to panel members;   encrypting, by the audience measurement server, for each communication in the selected subset, the identification of the item of content with the corresponding device identifier in each said communication to generate encrypted measurement data; and   transmitting, by the audience measurement server to the second device, the encrypted measurement data;   wherein the second device successfully decrypts identifications of items of content corresponding to device identifiers of the first portion of the plurality of client devices, and fails to decrypt identifications of items of content not corresponding to device identifiers of the first portion of the plurality of client devices.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each communication transmitted from a client device of the plurality of client devices is transmitted responsive to said client device receiving the item of content from a content provider. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the item of content received by each client device includes a command to cause said client device to transmit a communication to the first device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device identifiers of client devices of the first portion of the plurality of client devices are generated by the panel measurement service. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a request, by the audience measurement server from a client device, for a device identifier;   generating, by the audience measurement server, the device identifier; and   transmitting, by the audience measurement server to the client device, the device identifier, the device identifier provided by the client device to the panel measurement service responsive to the device operating on behalf of a member of the panel measurement service.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the probabilistic data structure comprises a Bloom filter. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the probabilistic data structure comprises a quotient filter. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein filtering the received communications to select a subset of the received communications further comprises:
 determining that a hash of the device identifier of a communication matches a portion of the probabilistic data structure; and   including said communication in the selected subset, responsive to the determination that the hash of the device identifier matches the portion of the probabilistic data structure.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein filtering the received communications to select a subset of the received communications further comprises:
 determining that a hash of the device identifier of a communication does not match a portion of the probabilistic data structure; and   excluding said communication from the selected subset, responsive to the determination that the hash of the device identifier does not match a portion of the probabilistic data structure.   
     
     
         10 . A system for secure online audience measurement, comprising:
 a first device in communication with a plurality of client devices, comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured for:   receiving a communication transmitted from each of the plurality of client devices, each communication comprising an identification of an item of content and a device identifier of said client device, a first portion of the plurality of client devices operating on behalf of members of a panel measurement service;   receiving, from a second device, a request for measurement data of the members of the panel measurement service, the request comprising a probabilistic data structure corresponding to a hash of each device identifier of the first portion of the plurality of client devices;   filtering, via the probabilistic data structure, the received communications to select a subset of the received communications including (i) the communications including device identifiers of the first portion of the plurality of client devices and (ii) the communications including device identifiers of a second portion of the plurality of client devices not corresponding to panel members;   encrypting for each communication in the selected subset, the identification of the item of content with the corresponding device identifier in each said communication to generate encrypted measurement data; and   transmitting, to the second device, the encrypted measurement data;   wherein the second device successfully decrypts identifications of items of content corresponding to device identifiers of the first portion of the plurality of client devices, and fails to decrypt identifications of items of content not corresponding to device identifiers of the first portion of the plurality of client devices.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein each communication transmitted from a client device of the plurality of client devices is transmitted responsive to said client device receiving the item of content from a content provider. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the item of content received by each client device includes a command to cause said client device to transmit a communication to the first device. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the device identifiers of client devices of the first portion of the plurality of client devices are generated by the panel measurement service. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured for:
 receiving a request, from a client device, for a device identifier;   generating the device identifier; and   transmitting, to the client device, the device identifier, the device identifier provided by the client device to the panel measurement service responsive to the device operating on behalf of a member of the panel measurement service.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the probabilistic data structure comprises a Bloom filter or a quotient filter. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured for:
 determining that a hash of the device identifier of a communication matches a portion of the probabilistic data structure; and   including said communication in the selected subset, responsive to the determination that the hash of the device identifier matches the portion of the probabilistic data structure.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured for:
 determining that a hash of the device identifier of a communication does not match a portion of the probabilistic data structure; and   excluding said communication from the selected subset, responsive to the determination that the hash of the device identifier does not match a portion of the probabilistic data structure.   
     
     
         18 . A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a communication transmitted from each of a plurality of client devices, each communication comprising an identification of an item of content and a device identifier of said client device, a first portion of the plurality of client devices operating on behalf of members of a panel measurement service;   receiving, from a second device, a request for measurement data of the members of the panel measurement service, the request comprising a probabilistic data structure corresponding to a hash of each device identifier of the first portion of the plurality of client devices;   filtering, via the probabilistic data structure, the received communications to select a subset of the received communications including (i) the communications including device identifiers of the first portion of the plurality of client devices and (ii) the communications including device identifiers of a second portion of the plurality of client devices not corresponding to panel members;   encrypting for each communication in the selected subset, the identification of the item of content with the corresponding device identifier in each said communication to generate encrypted measurement data; and   transmitting, to the second device, the encrypted measurement data;   wherein the second device successfully decrypts identifications of items of content corresponding to device identifiers of the first portion of the plurality of client devices, and fails to decrypt identifications of items of content not corresponding to device identifiers of the first portion of the plurality of client devices.   
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 18 , wherein execution of the instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a request, from a client device, for a device identifier;   generating the device identifier; and   transmitting, to the client device, the device identifier, the device identifier provided by the client device to the panel measurement service responsive to the device operating on behalf of a member of the panel measurement service.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 18 , wherein execution of the instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
 determining that a hash of the device identifier of a communication does not match a portion of the probabilistic data structure; and   excluding said communication from the selected subset, responsive to the determination that the hash of the device identifier does not match a portion of the probabilistic data structure.