PRIVACY-BASED IDENTITY

• US 20130205400A1
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crytek IP Holding LLC
• Original Assignee: Gface GmbH
• Inventors: Yerli, Cevat
• Granted Patent: US 9,065,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• 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

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a privacy-based representation of a user identity within an online system. A method for representing a user identity within an online system is provided, comprising: requesting a user identity of a user of the online system by a viewer; retrieving a status of the viewer with regard to the user; based on the status of the viewer, determining a representation of the user identity; and providing the representation of the user identity to the viewer. Furthermore, an online system and a data structure representing a user identity of a user of an online system are defined.

Claims

1. A method for representing a user identity within an online system, comprising:

receiving a request for a user identity of a user of the online system from a viewer;

retrieving a status of the viewer with regard to the user;

based on the status of the viewer, determining a representation of the user identity; and

providing the representation of the user identity to the viewer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining comprises associating at least one of two or more levels of privacy with the viewer based on the status of the viewer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user identity comprises one or more elements, each element describing a characteristic of the user, and at least some of the elements comprise two or more definitions related to different levels of privacy.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the representation of the user identity comprises, for each element of the user identity, one of said definitions based on the level of privacy associated with the viewer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining further comprises using a rule-based system to choose the representation of the user identity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user modifies at least one rule of the rule-based system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewer is another user of the online system and said status of the viewer with regard to the user is determined based on an affiliation within the online system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the online system is a social network.

9. An online system, comprising:

a first input interface accessible by a viewer, wherein the first input interface is configured to generate a request for a user identity of a user of the online system based at least in part on input received from the viewer;

a processing component configured to retrieve a status of the viewer with regard to the user and, based on the status of the viewer, to determine a representation of the user identity; and

an output interface accessible by the viewer, wherein the output interface is configured to provide the representation of the user identity to the viewer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said processing component is further configured to associate at least one of two or more levels of privacy with the viewer based on the status of the viewer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the user identity comprises one or more elements, each element describing a characteristic of the user, and at least some of the elements comprise two or more definitions related to different levels of privacy.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the representation of the user identity comprises, for each element of the user identity, one of said definitions based on the level of privacy associated with the viewer.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said processing component is further configured to use a rule-based system to choose the representation of the user identity.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a second input interface accessible to the user, the second input interface configured to allow the user to modify at least one rule of the rule-based system.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the viewer is another user of the online system and said status of the viewer with regard to the user is determined based on an affiliation within the online system.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the online system is a social network.

17. A data structure representing a user identity of a user of an online system, comprising:

one or more elements, each element describing a characteristic of the user,

wherein at least some of the elements comprise two or more definitions of the respective characteristic, and

wherein each definition is related to a different level of privacy.

18. The data structure of claim 17, wherein said definitions are based on a level of privacy associated with a viewer.

19. The data structure of claim 17, wherein said elements include at least one of a name of the user, and a visual representation of the user.