CAREER: Privacy-Guaranteed Distributed Interactions in Critical Infrastructure Networks

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Information sharing between operators (agents) in critical infrastructure systems such as the Smart Grid is fundamental to reliable and sustained operation. The contention, however, between sharing data for system stability and reliability (utility) and withholding data for competitive advantage (privacy) has stymied data sharing in such systems, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. This motivates a data sharing framework that addresses the competitive interests and information leakage concerns of agents and enables timely and controlled information exchange.This research develops a foundational approach to privacy-guaranteed information sharing among distributed self-interested agents in complex systems using information theory and game theory. This multidisciplinary project focuses on four mutually related challenges in multi-agent network abstractions of the Smart Grid: (1) characterization of the fundamental limits of distributed interaction with privacy constraints; (2) operational and practical significance of information-theoretic privacy measures; (3) formalizing the cost of privacy and the role of trust and repeated interactions for cooperation; and a direct application of these results via (4) distributed algorithms and protocols for privacy-guaranteed data sharing in the Smart Grid. The research has the broader implication of enabling information sharing in a variety of complex networks with strict privacy requirements including electronic healthcare and water distribution systems, and also engenders academic and industry collaborations in power systems. This research project incorporates carefully tailored outreach efforts including privacy awareness for middle- and high-school students, and active engagement of undergraduate and graduate students, especially females, in research.