METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE CONTROL OF PERSONAL IDENTITIES IN VIRTUAL NETWORKED ENVIRONMENTS
First Claim
1. A method of controlling personal identities of participants in online networking environments, the method comprising:
- providing a platform for a plurality of users to initiate an online social networking activity, the platform providing access to each of the plurality of users to one or more online social networks;
providing, to a first user of the platform, an interface to enable the first user to select a first dynamic alias prior to logging in to a specific online social network, wherein the dynamic alias hides a true identity of the first user associated with the specific online social network;
retaining, by the platform, a correlation between the true identity of the first user and the first dynamic alias of the first user; and
providing, by the platform, access to the first user to the specific online social network, wherein the platform enables the first user to utilize the first dynamic alias to interact with other users of the specific online social network, and wherein the true identity of the first user is hidden from other users of the specific online social network.
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Abstract
Methods and systems to allow individuals participating in social networks to establish pseudonymity amongst people they know in real life or in a virtual context are disclosed. In one embodiment, the present invention provides the assignment of disposable aliases or other temporary forms of personal identity, such as an image, to users in a virtual network to obfuscate their real identities or persistent online identities. Another paradigm introduces the notion of a private group or “campfire” where invited users (whether initiated by an individual or systematically broadcast to a broad or limited group) are allowed or expected to use such dynamic aliases to facilitate protected online interaction, expression, and discourse with the group at large (campfire), rather than as multiple one-to-one conversations (hub and spoke).
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method of controlling personal identities of participants in online networking environments, the method comprising:
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providing a platform for a plurality of users to initiate an online social networking activity, the platform providing access to each of the plurality of users to one or more online social networks; providing, to a first user of the platform, an interface to enable the first user to select a first dynamic alias prior to logging in to a specific online social network, wherein the dynamic alias hides a true identity of the first user associated with the specific online social network; retaining, by the platform, a correlation between the true identity of the first user and the first dynamic alias of the first user; and providing, by the platform, access to the first user to the specific online social network, wherein the platform enables the first user to utilize the first dynamic alias to interact with other users of the specific online social network, and wherein the true identity of the first user is hidden from other users of the specific online social network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for controlling personal identities of participants in online social networking environments, the method comprising:
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establishing a platform for linking a first user to a plurality of online social networking environments; providing, through the platform, an option for the first user to adopt a dynamic alias prior to the first user logging into a first online social networking environment; replacing a true identity of the first user with an adopted alias subsequent to the user selecting the adopted alias from the platform; storing a correlation of the true identity of the first user to the adopted alias in a storage memory accessible to the platform; and providing an access mechanism to enable the first user to login to the first online social networking environment using the adopted alias. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A system for controlling personal identities of participants in online networking environments, the system comprising:
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a platform module to provide a platform for a plurality of users to engage in an online social networking activity, the platform module providing access to each of the plurality of users to one or more online social networks; an interface module to provide, to a first user, an interface to enable the first user to select a first dynamic alias prior to logging in to a specific online social network, wherein the dynamic alias hides a true identity of the first user associated with the specific online social network; a storage module to retain a correlation between the true identity of the first user and the first dynamic alias of the first user; and wherein, the platform module provides access to the first user to the specific online social network, and enables the first user to utilize the first dynamic alias to interact with other users of the specific online social network, and wherein the true identity of the first user is hidden from the other users of the specific online social network. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A system for controlling personal identities of participants in online social networking environments, the system comprising:
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a processor; and a memory storing code which, when executed by the processor, causes the system to perform a process, the process including; establishing a platform for linking a first user to a plurality of online social networking environments; providing, through the platform, an option for the first user to adopt a dynamic alias prior to logging the user into a first online social networking environment; replacing a true identity of the first user with an adopted alias subsequent to the user selecting the adopted alias from the platform; storing a correlation of the true identity of the first user to the adopted alias in a storage memory accessible to the platform; and providing an access mechanism to enable the first user to login to the first online social networking environment using the adopted alias.
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Specification