User Authentication for Social Networks

• US 20100115114A1
• Filed: 10/29/2009
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Veritrix, Inc.
• Inventors: Headley, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,185,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for social networks that can verify that enrolled users are not misrepresenting facts about themselves such as age and gender. Verification can be performed, for example, by reference to biometric templates stored during the user enrollment process. The biometric templates can also be used to authenticate users logging into the social network to prevent user impersonation. The ability of some users to communicate to other users of the social network can be limited to only certified users, and even to those certified users that match a criterion, such as gender or age.

Claims

1. A social network system comprising:

enrollment logic configured to enroll a first user in the social network by

associating the first user with a user ID,

associating a plurality of prompts with the user ID,

associating a plurality of biometric templates each with one of the plurality of prompts,

receiving an indication of the first user'"'"'s gender, and

verifying the first user'"'"'s gender by analyzing a biometric template from the plurality of biometric templates; and

authentication logic configured to authenticate a claimant as the first user by

receiving a claimant target,

sending a prompt from the plurality of prompts,

receiving a biometric response to the prompt, and

determining a match between the biometric response and a biometric template associated with the prompt.

2. The social network of claim 1 wherein the enrollment logic is further configured to enroll the first user by receiving an indication of the first user'"'"'s age and verifying the first user'"'"'s age by analyzing the biometric template used to verify the first user'"'"'s gender.

3. The social network of claim 1 wherein the enrollment logic is further configured to

compare a biometric template of the plurality of biometric templates of the first user against a plurality of biometric templates of barred users, and

deny enrollment to the first user based on a match between the biometric template of the plurality of biometric templates and one of the plurality of biometric templates of barred users.

4. The social network of claim 1 further comprising logic configured to authenticate the first user to a second user by sending at least a portion of the biometric response of the first user, or at least a portion of a biometric template of the plurality of biometric templates of the first user, to the second user.

5. A method for enrolling a user in a social network, the method comprising:

associating the user with a user ID;

associating a plurality of prompts with the user ID;

associating a plurality of biometric templates each with one of the plurality of prompts;

receiving an indication of the user'"'"'s gender; and

verifying the user'"'"'s gender by comparing the indication of the gender with a result of an analysis of a biometric template from the plurality of biometric templates.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein comparing the indication with the biometric template comprises a manual comparison.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein comparing the indication with the biometric template comprises an automated comparison.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising

receiving an indication of the user'"'"'s age, and

verifying the user'"'"'s age by comparing the indication with a biometric template from the plurality of biometric templates.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising

comparing a biometric template of the plurality of biometric templates of the user against a plurality of biometric templates of barred users, and

denying enrollment to the user based on a match between the biometric template of the plurality of biometric templates and one of the plurality of biometric templates of the barred users.

10. A method for enrolling a user in a social network, the method comprising:

associating the user with a user ID;

associating a plurality of prompts with the user ID;

associating a plurality of biometric templates each with one of the plurality of prompts;

receiving an indication of the user'"'"'s age; and

verifying the user'"'"'s age by comparing the indication with a biometric template from the plurality of biometric templates.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising

comparing a biometric template of the plurality of biometric templates of the user against a plurality of biometric templates of barred users, and

denying enrollment to the user based on a match between the biometric template of the plurality of biometric templates and one of the plurality of biometric templates of the barred users.

12. A method for preventing a first user from making certain misrepresentations in a social network, the method comprising:

associating the first user with a user ID;

associating the user ID with a biometric template of the first user;

providing a prompt to the first user and storing a biometric response of the first user thereto in association with the user ID;

receiving a request from a second user of the social network to authenticate the first user of the social network; and

sending to the second user at least a portion of the biometric response of the first user, or at least a portion of the biometric template of the first user.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least the portion of the biometric response or biometric template of the first user comprises at least a portion of a biometric login response.

14. A method for maintaining a social network comprising:

enrolling users in the social network, wherein enrolling users includes storing in association with a user ID for each enrolled user a voice template, a facial recognition template, and either the user'"'"'s gender or the user'"'"'s age;

certifying enrolled users by using their voice template or their facial recognition template to verify their gender or age; and

indicating to users of the social network which other users are certified.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising restricting some users to communicate only with certified users.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein restricting some users to communicate only with certified users includes restricting those users to communicate only with certified users that match a criterion.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the criterion is gender.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the criterion is an age range.

19. A social network system comprising:

enrollment logic configured to enroll a first user in the social network by

associating the first user with a user ID,

associating a plurality of prompts with the user ID,

associating a plurality of biometric templates each with one of the plurality of prompts; and

authentication logic configured to

authenticate a claimant as the first user by

receiving a claimant target,

sending a prompt from the plurality of prompts,

receiving a biometric response to the prompt, and

determining a match between the biometric response and a biometric template associated with the prompt, and

further configured to authenticate the first user to a second user by

sending at least a portion of the biometric response of the first user, or at least a portion of a biometric template of the plurality of biometric templates of the first user, to the second user.