Detecting, classifying, and enforcing policies on social networking activity

• US 10,528,611 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proofpoint Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Proofpoint Incorporated
• Inventors: Sutton, Richard Banks, Dorie, Anthony Lawrence, Yan, Wenchang, Redmond, Devin Hugh, Kruck, Raymond, Nadir, Daniel Oshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilles, Jude Jean
• Application Number:
  US15/218,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20160335344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/353 into predefined classes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Technology is disclosed for detecting, classifying, and/or enforcing policies on social networking activity. The technology can store a content policy, classify content posted to a social network, determine that the classification corresponds to the content policy, and apply an action specified by the content policy to the posted content.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computing device to detect, classify, or enforce policies on social networking activity, the method comprising:

associating a managed social account with a plurality of accounts across disparate social networking platforms;

storing a content policy corresponding to the managed social account;

objectively classifying content posted from the managed social account to the plurality of accounts across the disparate social networking platforms;

determining whether a classification from the objectively classifying violates the content policy corresponding to the managed social account; and

applying at least one action specified by the content policy to the content without user input.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the applying the at least one action includes identifying content that is to be deleted from the managed social account.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the objectively classifying includes classifying the content based on at least one of an image or video embedded in the content.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the objectively classifying further includes classifying the content based on metadata associated with at least one of the image or video.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the content policy specifies one or more users, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the content was posted by at least one of the one or more users.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the content policy specifies one or more applications, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the content was posted by an application other than the one or more specified applications.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the content policy specifies one or more devices, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the content was posted by a device other than the one or more specified devices.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the content policy specifies one or more geographic locations, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the content was posted from a geographic location other than the one or more geographic locations.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the content policy specifies a time of day, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the content was posted at a time of day other than the specified time of day.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the content policy specifies a social networking platform and a content type associated with the networking platform, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the content is a content type other than the specified content type.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the content policy is a compound policy that includes a first policy attribute and a second policy attribute, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the classification violates both of the first policy attribute and the second policy attribute.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the content policy specifies a social networking platform and a content type associated with the social networking platform, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the content is a content type other than the specified content type.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining includes determining a relative amount of time between when the content was posted and when other content was posted.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the content policy specifies specific terms or expression patterns found across the disparate social networking platforms.

15. A computer system, comprising;

at least one central processing unit; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions translatable by the at least one central processing unit for;

associating a managed social account with a plurality of accounts across disparate social networking platforms;

storing a content policy corresponding to the managed social account;

objectively classifying content posted from the managed social account to the plurality of accounts across the disparate social networking platforms;

determining whether a classification from the objectively classifying violates the content policy corresponding to the managed social account; and

applying at least one action specified by the content policy to the content without user input.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the applying the at least one action includes identifying content that is to be deleted from the managed social account.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the objectively classifying includes classifying the content based on at least one of an image or video embedded in the content.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the content policy specifies one or more users, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the content was posted by at least one of the one or more users.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the content policy specifies one or more applications, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the content was posted by an application other than the one or more specified applications.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the content policy specifies one or more devices, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the content was posted by a device other than the one or more specified devices.