Managing privacy settings for content on online social networks

• US 10,659,299 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Winters, Kelly B., Thomas, Brian Jay, Muriello, Daniel Gregory, Albert, Emily Grace
• Primary Examiner(s): Hlaing, Soe
• Application Number:
  US15/199,295
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving an indication of a trigger action associated with a first user and with respect to a particular entity, sending to the first user a content-update interface for updating privacy settings associated with multiple content objects associated with the first user or the particular entity, receiving, from the first user via the content-update interface, settings updates for the content objects, and applying the settings updates to the privacy settings associated with the content objects.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by one or more computing devices of an online social network:

receiving an indication of a trigger action by a first user of the online social network, wherein the trigger action is with respect to a second user of the online social network;

sending, to a client system of the first user, automatically in response to receiving the indication of the trigger action, a content-update interface associated with the second user, wherein the content-update interface allows the first user to update, en masse, a plurality of privacy settings of a plurality of content objects, respectively, each of the content objects being associated with the first user and the second user, wherein the privacy settings of each content object controls an accessibility of the respective content object by one or more other users of the online social network;

receiving, from the client system of the first user via the content-update interface, one or more settings updates for the plurality of privacy settings of the plurality of content objects, respectively, wherein the one or more settings updates change the accessibility of the respective content objects by the second user associated with the trigger action; and

applying the settings updates to the plurality of privacy settings of the plurality of content objects, respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them, the nodes comprising;

a first node corresponding to the first user; and

a plurality of second nodes corresponding to a plurality of other users of the online social network, respectively,

wherein the second user corresponds to a particular second node of the plurality of second nodes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger action is associated with a change in a relationship status of the first user with respect to the second user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger action is associated with updating one or more tags on one or more of the plurality of content objects with respect to the second user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger action is associated with updating the plurality of privacy settings of one or more of the plurality of content objects with respect to the second user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger action is a request by the first user to access the content-update interface associated with the second user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the content-update interface associated with the second user further allows the first user to update an affinity coefficient between the first user and the second user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the content-update interface associated with the second user further allows the first user to update one or more tags on one or more of the plurality of content objects associated with the first user and the second user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the content-update interface associated with the second user further allows the first user to create a content filter function for filtering one or more of the plurality of content objects.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the one or more settings updates for the plurality of privacy settings of the plurality of content objects, respectively comprises receiving a settings update changing an affinity coefficient between the first user and the second user to a baseline level.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the changing of the affinity coefficient to a baseline level is reversible.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the one or more settings updates for the plurality of privacy settings of the plurality of content objects, respectively comprises updating one or more default privacy settings for a content-posting interface.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the one or more settings updates for the plurality of privacy settings of the plurality of content objects, respectively comprises:

receiving settings updates for one or more content objects associated with the first user; and

updating privacy settings for the one or more content objects associated with the first user to control accessibility of the respective content object by one or more other users of the online social network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the updating of the privacy settings for the one or more content objects is reversible.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the settings updates comprises updating privacy settings for one or more content objects posted by the first user to have a visibility that is not visible to all entities except the second user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the settings updates comprises deleting each tag of the first user on each content object posted by the second user in which the first user is tagged.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the settings updates comprises deleting each tag of the first user on each content object posted by an entity other than the second user in which the first user is tagged.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the settings updates comprises updating privacy settings for each content object posted by the second user to have a visibility that is not visible to the first user.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of a trigger action further comprises:

sending, to a client system of the first user in response to the trigger action, a content-update workflow prompt associated with the second user, wherein the content-update workflow prompt is selectable by the first user to access a content-update workflow associated with the second user; and

receiving, from the client system of the first user, an indication the first user has selected to access the content-update workflow.

20. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

receive an indication of a trigger action by a first user of the online social network, wherein the trigger action is with respect to a second user of the online social network;

send, to a client system of the first user, automatically in response to receiving the indication of the trigger action, a content-update interface associated with the second user, wherein the content-update interface allows the first user to update, en masse, a plurality of privacy settings of a plurality of content objects, respectively, each of the content objects being associated with the first user and the second user, wherein the privacy settings of each content object controls an accessibility of the respective content object by one or more other users of the online social network;

receive, from the client system of the first user via the content-update interface, one or more settings updates for the plurality of privacy settings of the plurality of content objects, respectively, wherein the one or more settings updates change the accessibility of the respective content objects by the second user associated with the trigger action; and

apply the settings updates to the plurality of privacy settings of the plurality of content objects, respectively.

21. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

receive an indication of a trigger action by a first user of the online social network, wherein the trigger action is with respect to a second user of the online social network;

send, to a client system of the first user, automatically in response to receiving the indication of the trigger action, a content-update interface associated with the second user, wherein the content-update interface allows the first user to update, en masse, a plurality of privacy settings of a plurality of content objects, respectively, each of the content objects being associated with the first user and the second user, wherein the privacy settings of each content object controls an accessibility of the respective content object by one or more other users of the online social network;

receive, from the client system of the first user via the content-update interface, one or more settings updates for the plurality of privacy settings of the plurality of content objects, respectively, wherein the one or more settings updates change the accessibility of the respective content objects by the second user associated with the trigger action; and

apply the settings updates to the plurality of privacy settings of the plurality of content objects, respectively.