Member privacy protection

• US 10,459,953 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2017
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ji, Haifeng, Scott, Cory, Hwa, Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): Madamba, Glenford J
• Application Number:
  US15/669,021
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks

Abstract

A system and method for identifying potential member and guest contacts while protecting member data privacy at a social networking system are disclosed. A system stores contact information for a plurality of members of a social networking system. The system receives a list of contacts of the first member. For a contact, the system accesses contact information of the contact, compares the contact information in the contact to contact information for the plurality of members, and in accordance with a determination that the contact information in the contact matches the contact information of a member of the social networking system, generates a score that the contact is not associated with malicious activity. In accordance with a determination that the generated score exceeds a predetermined score threshold, the system categorizes the contact as a suggested member connection. The system transmits member referral data to the client device for presentation.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer-readable memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more hardware processors, configure the system to perform a plurality of operations, the operations comprising;

storing contact information for a plurality of members of a social networking system;

receiving, from a client device associated with a first member, a communication representing a request for matching member profiles in the social networking service, the communication including a list of contacts of the first member;

for a particular contact submitted in the list of contacts;

accessing member-identifiable contact information of the particular contact;

comparing the member-identifiable contact information in the particular contact to contact information for the plurality of members; and

in accordance with a determination that the member-identifiable contact information in the particular contact matches the contact information of a particular member of the social networking system;

generating a likelihood score that the communication is a legitimate request for matching member profiles, the higher the likelihood score the likelier the communication is a legitimate request while the lower the likelihood score the likelier the communication is a malicious request; and

in accordance with a determination that the generated likelihood score exceeds a predetermined likelihood score threshold, thus determining that the communication is a legitimate request, causing the following operations to be performed;

categorizing the particular contact as a suggested member connection; and

transmitting member referral data to the client device for presentation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to a determination that the likelihood score does not transgress the threshold, preventing contacts in the list of contacts from being categorized as suggested member connections.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein member referral data includes at least one suggested member connection and at least one suggested guest connection.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a total number of contacts in the list of contacts.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a rate at which contacts in the list of contacts have been submitted.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a total number of contacts submitted by a single Internet Protocol address.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a total rate at which contacts have been submitted by a single Internet Protocol address.

8. A computer-implemented method using at least one computer processor, the method comprising:

storing contact information for a plurality of members of a social networking system;

receiving, from a client device associated with a first member, a communication representing a request for matching member profiles in the social networking service, the communication including a list of contacts of the first member;

for a particular contact submitted in the list of contacts;

accessing member-identifiable contact information of the particular contact;

comparing the member-identifiable contact information in the particular contact to contact information for the plurality of members; and

in accordance with a determination that the member-identifiable contact information in the particular contact matches the contact information of a particular member of the social networking system;

generating a likelihood score that the communication is a legitimate request for matching member profiles, the higher the likelihood score the likelier the communication is a legitimate request while the lower the likelihood score the likelier the communication is a malicious request; and

in accordance with a determination that the generated likelihood score exceeds a predetermined likelihood score threshold, thus determining that the communication is a legitimate request, causing the following operations to be performed;

categorizing the particular contact as a suggested member connection; and

transmitting member referral data to the client device for presentation.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to a determination that the likelihood score does not transgress the threshold, preventing contacts in the list of contacts from being categorized as suggested member connections.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein member referral data includes at least one suggested member connection and at least one suggested guest connection.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a total number of contacts in the list of contacts.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a rate at which contacts in the list of contacts have been submitted.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a total number of contacts submitted by a single Internet Protocol address.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a total rate at which contacts have been submitted by a single Internet Protocol address.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

storing contact information for a plurality of members of a social networking system;

receiving, from a client device associated with a first member, a communication representing a request for matching member profiles in the social networking service, the communication including a list of contacts of the first member;

for a particular contact submitted in the list of contacts;

accessing member-identifiable contact information of the particular contact;

comparing the member-identifiable contact information in the particular contact to contact information for the plurality of members; and

in accordance with a determination that the member-identifiable contact information in the particular contact matches the contact information of a particular member of the social networking system;

generating a likelihood score that the communication is a legitimate request for matching member profiles, the higher the likelihood score the likelier the communication is a legitimate request while the lower the likelihood score the likelier the communication is a malicious request; and

in accordance with a determination that the generated likelihood score exceeds a predetermined likelihood score threshold, thus determining that the communication is a legitimate request, causing the following operations to be performed;

categorizing the particular contact as a suggested member connection; and

transmitting member referral data to the client device for presentation.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

in response to a determination that the likelihood score does not transgress the threshold, preventing contacts in the list of contacts from being categorized as suggested member connections.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein member referral data includes at least one suggested member connection and at least one suggested guest connection.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a total number of contacts in the list of contacts.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a rate at which contacts in the list of contacts have been submitted.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the likelihood score is further based on a total number of contacts submitted by a single Internet Protocol address.