Abstract
The inherent challenge within the domain of location-based services is finding a delicate balance between user privacy and the efficiency of answering queries. Inevitably, security issues can and will arise as the server must be informed about the query location in order to provide accurate responses. Despite the many security advancements in wireless communication, servers may become jeopardized or become infected with malicious software. That said, it is possible to ensure queries do not generate fake responses that appear real; in fact, if a fake response is used, mechanisms can be employed for the user to identify the query's authenticity. Towards this end, the paper propose BLoom Filter Oblivious Transfer (BLOT), a novel phase privacy preserving framework for LBS that combines a Bloom filter hash function and the oblivious transfer protocol. These methods are shown to be useful in securing a user's private information. An analysis of the results revealed that BLOT performed markedly better and enhanced entropy when compared to referenced approaches.