DYNAMICALLY UPDATING PRIVACY SETTINGS IN A SOCIAL NETWORK
First Claim
1. A method for regulating access to data associated with members of a social network based on the members'"'"' privacy settings, the method comprising:
- maintaining a profile for a plurality of members of a social network, each profile identifying one or more characteristics associated with a member and one or more privacy settings granting or denying access to the one or more characteristics;
monitoring actions taken by the members of the social network;
responsive to an action changing a privacy setting for a particular member, determining one or more information pathways affected by the changed privacy setting, each information pathway communicating data about the member to one or more other members; and
modifying each information pathway affected by the changed privacy setting to adjust the data communicated to the one or more other members responsive to the changed privacy setting.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A social network allows its members to regulate what data is accessible to other members using one or more privacy settings. A particular member of the social network can modify the one or privacy settings to grant or deny different users access to different data. When a member modifies a privacy setting, the social network determines which information pathways communicating data between members are affected. The affected information pathways are then modified responsive to the privacy setting to communicate data identified by the modified privacy setting and enforce the new privacy restrictions.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for regulating access to data associated with members of a social network based on the members'"'"' privacy settings, the method comprising:
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maintaining a profile for a plurality of members of a social network, each profile identifying one or more characteristics associated with a member and one or more privacy settings granting or denying access to the one or more characteristics; monitoring actions taken by the members of the social network; responsive to an action changing a privacy setting for a particular member, determining one or more information pathways affected by the changed privacy setting, each information pathway communicating data about the member to one or more other members; and modifying each information pathway affected by the changed privacy setting to adjust the data communicated to the one or more other members responsive to the changed privacy setting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system for regulating access to data associated with members of a social network based on the members'"'"' privacy settings, the system comprising:
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a member profile store for maintaining a profile for a plurality of members of the social network, each profile identifying one or more characteristics associated with a member and one or more privacy settings granting or denying access to the one or more characteristics; a privacy engine communicatively coupled to the member profile store for; monitoring actions taken by members of the social network; responsive to an action changing a privacy setting associated with a particular member, determining one or more information pathways affected by the changed privacy setting, each information pathway communicating data about the member to one or more additional members; and modifying each information pathway affected by the changed privacy setting to adjust the data communicated to the one or more additional members responsive to the changed privacy setting. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification