SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SECURING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR USERS AND BUSINESSES AND REWARDING FOR ENHANCING SECURITY

• US 20130340089A1
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SecureMySocial Inc.
• Original Assignee: SecureMySocial Inc.
• Inventors: Steinberg, Joseph, Rubinoff, Shira
• Granted Patent: US 9,374,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

The disclosed system and method enhances security of people, organizations, and other entities that use what has been termed “social media.” Recent trends have shown that information posted to social media may cause tremendous damage to individuals and other entities. This includes information that was posted deliberately or unintentionally, including social security numbers, financial data and other sensitive information. Further, information that previously may have been viewed as innocuous, such as location data, has caused harm on certain occasions and may need to be protected. The disclosed system provides a novel method of screening, identifying, and preventing certain information from being posted on social media and other public locations. In addition, the disclosed system and method improves security by motivating people to use security software by offering rewards for its use.

Claims

1. A method for securing information from unintentional publication on social media sites, comprising:

receiving, at a social media server, a request to publish information;

analyzing the request pursuant to one or more pre-configured rules; and

performing an action with respect to the request in accordance with the one or more pre-configured rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action with respect to the request comprises:

providing a warning to the user regarding the request to publish information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing the user with one or more options for possible actions relating to the request to publish information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the request to publish information comprises a request to publish a digital photograph.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the request to publish information comprises a request to post a comment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the rules are pre-configured by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the request to publish information was initiated in response to social media content.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

in response to determining whether the request to publish information was initiated in response to social media content, determining the type of social media content.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the social media content was the post of a different user.

10. A method for protecting users from unintentional disclosure of information on social media sites, comprising:

detecting a user'"'"'s attempt to perform a social media action;

analyzing the user'"'"'s attempt pursuant to one or more pre-configured rules; and

responding to the user'"'"'s attempt in accordance with the one or more pre-configured rules.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the analyzing the user'"'"'s attempt pursuant to one or more pre-configured rules comprises accessing one or more databases storing the one or more rules.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining whether a user'"'"'s attempt to perform a social media action was made in response to a different user'"'"'s social media action.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, in response to the determining whether a user'"'"'s attempt to perform a social media action was made in response to a different user'"'"'s social media action, determining the type of the different user'"'"'s social media action.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the different user'"'"'s social media action was the posting of a comment.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the different user'"'"'s social media action was the posting of a digital photograph.

16. A method for providing information security services to a user of social media, comprising:

creating a user profile based on information supplied about a user;

searching one or more social media websites for content relating to the user based on the created user profile;

analyzing the content relating to the user available on the one or more social media websites;

creating a database object; and

populating the database object with data obtained by analyzing the content relating to the user available on the one or more social media websites.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user profile comprises login information to the ones or more social media websites.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

logging into the one or more social media websites.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

presenting the user with a list of content relating to the user available on the one or more social media websites.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

providing the user with one or more options for possible actions relating to the content relating to the user available on the one or more social media websites.