Enhancing Data Privacy in Large Language Models through Private Association Editing

ACL ARR 2024 June Submission1559 Authors

14 Jun 2024 (modified: 06 Aug 2024)ACL ARR 2024 June SubmissionEveryoneRevisionsBibTeXCC BY 4.0
Abstract: Large Language Models (LLMs) are powerful tools with extensive applications, but their tendency to memorize private information raises significant concerns as private data leakage can easily happen. In this paper, we introduce Private Association Editing (PAE), a novel defense approach for private data leakage. PAE is designed to effectively remove Personally Identifiable Information (PII) without retraining the model. Our approach consists of a four-step procedure: detecting memorized PII, applying PAE cards to mitigate memorization of private data, verifying resilience to targeted data extraction (TDE) attacks, and ensuring consistency in the post-edit LLMs. The versatility and efficiency of PAE, which allows for batch modifications, significantly enhance data privacy in LLMs. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of PAE in mitigating private data leakage. We believe PAE will serve as a critical tool in the ongoing effort to protect data privacy in LLMs, encouraging the development of safer models for real-world applications.
Paper Type: Long
Research Area: Language Modeling
Research Area Keywords: security and privacy
Contribution Types: NLP engineering experiment
Languages Studied: English
Submission Number: 1559
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