Verifying online identities across parental control systems

• US 8,095,672 B1
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NortonLifeLock Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Newstadt, Keith, Boucher, Matt
• Primary Examiner(s): Salad, Abdullahi
• Application Number:
  US12/324,762
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 709206-207, 709/224, 726/1, 726 27- 28, 715/745
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/40 by quorum, i.e. whereby two or more security principals are required

Abstract

Identities of owners of electronic communication aliases are collected from a plurality of client computers across a parental control system. Each collected identity corresponds to an electronic communication aliases used by at least one child associated with the originating client computer. The collected identities and the corresponding electronic communication aliases are stored. Response to receiving a collected identity, previously stored identities corresponding to the same electronic communication alias are retrieved, and compared to the received identity. The more previously stored identities match the received identity, the more likely the received identity is to be accurate. Therefore, based upon the comparison results, it can be determined whether the received identity is accurate or not. If it is determined that the received identity is false, the relevant parents are automatically notified.

Claims

1. A method for verifying electronic communication aliases, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a server computer, collected identities originating from a plurality of client computers, said identities corresponding to electronic communication aliases used by children associated with originating client computers;

storing, by a server computer, received identities, corresponding electronic communication aliases, and indications of originating client computers;

responsive to receiving an identity and a corresponding electronic communication alias, retrieving, by a server computer, previously stored identities corresponding to the same electronic communication alias;

comparing, by a server computer, the retrieved previously stored identities to the received identity; and

determining, by a server computer, based upon results of the comparing step, whether the received identity is accurate by increasing a validation score for each retrieved previously stored identity that matches the received identity, decreasing the validation score for each retrieved previously stored identity that does not match the received identity, and comparing the validation score to a threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting, by a server computer, a notification to at least one parent associated with at least one client computer, responsive to determining that a received identity is false.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein transmitting a notification further comprises performing at least one step from a group of steps consisting of:

executing an event in a parental control application by a server computer;

sending an email by a server computer;

sending an instant message by a server computer;

sending a facsimile by a server computer; and

generating an automated telephone call by a server computer.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein transmitting a notification to at least one parent associated with at least one client computer further comprises performing a step from a group of steps consisting of:

transmitting a notification by a server computer to at least one parent associated the client computer from which the received identity determined to be false originated; and

transmitting a notification by a server computer to at least one parent associated with every client computer from which a retrieved stored identity corresponding to the same electronic communication alias and matching the false identity originated.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing retrieved previously stored identities to the received identity, further comprises:

normalizing identity content, by a server computer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein storing received identities and corresponding electronic communication aliases further comprises storing, by a server computer, at least one item from a group of items consisting of:

a service on which the alias resides;

a name of an owner of the alias;

an email address of an owner of the alias;

a phone number of an owner of the alias; and

a school attended by an owner of the alias.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by a server computer, a request from a parent to view validation analysis data for at least one electronic communication alias with which an associated child communicates; and

responsive to the received request, generating, by a server computer, the requested validation analysis data for the parent.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein electronic communication comprises at least one type of electronic communication from a group consisting of:

instant messaging;

electronic voice chatting;

electronic text chatting;

electronic video chatting; and

electronic mail.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing a computer program product for verifying electronic communication aliases, the computer program product comprising:

program code for receiving collected identities originating from a plurality of client computers, said identities corresponding to electronic communication aliases used by at least one child associated with an originating client computer;

program code for storing received identities, corresponding electronic communication aliases, and indications of originating client computers;

program code for, responsive to receiving an identity and a corresponding electronic communication alias, retrieving previously stored identities corresponding to the same electronic communication alias;

program code for comparing the retrieved previously stored identities to the received identity; and

program code for determining based upon results of the comparing step, whether the received identity is accurate by increasing a validation score for each retrieved previously stored identity that matches the received identity, decreasing the validation score for each retrieved previously stored identity that does not match the received identity, and comparing the validation score to a threshold value.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising:

program code for transmitting a notification to at least one parent associated with at least one client computer, responsive to determining that a received identity is false.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the program code for transmitting a notification further comprises program code for performing at least one step from a group of steps consisting of:

executing an event in a parental control application;

sending an email;

sending an instant message;

sending a facsimile; and

generating an automated telephone call.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the program code for transmitting a notification to at least one parent associated with at least one client computer further comprises program code for performing a step from a group of steps consisting of:

transmitting a notification to at least one parent associated the client computer from which the received identity determined to be false originated; and

transmitting a notification to at least one parent associated with every client computer from which a retrieved stored identity corresponding to the same electronic communication alias and matching the false identity originated.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the program code for comparing retrieved previously stored identities to the received identity further comprises:

program code for normalizing identity content.

14. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the program code for storing received identities and corresponding electronic communication aliases further comprises program code for storing at least one item from a group of items consisting of:

a service on which the alias resides;

a name of an owner of the alias;

an email address of an owner of the alias;

a phone number of an owner of the alias; and

a school attended by an owner of the alias.

15. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising:

program code for receiving a request from a parent to view validation analysis data for at least one electronic communication alias with which an associated child communicates; and

program code for, responsive to the received request, generating the requested validation analysis data for the parent.

16. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising:

program code for collecting identities used by children on client computers.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the program code for collecting identities used by children on client computers further comprises program code for performing at least one step from a group of steps consisting of:

collecting aliases from at least one child'"'"'s buddy list;

monitoring network traffic to and from at least one client computer;

detecting workflow requests from at least one child asking for parental permission to communicate with a given alias; and

allowing children to enter information concerning aliases.

18. A computer system for verifying electronic communication aliases, the computer system comprising:

a computer memory;

an alias identification component residing in the computer memory, configured to collect identities originating from a plurality of client computers, each of said identities corresponding to an electronic communication aliases used by at least one child associated with an originating client computer;

an alias identity database residing in the computer memory, configured to store collected identities, corresponding electronic communication aliases, and indications of originating client computers;

an identification verification engine residing in the computer memory, configured to receive an identity, retrieve previously stored identities corresponding to the same electronic communication alias, compare the retrieved previously stored identities to the received identity, and determine, based upon comparison results, whether the received identity is accurate by increasing a validation score for each retrieved previously stored identity that matches the received identity, decreasing the validation score for each retrieved previously stored identity that does not match the received identity, and comparing the validation score to a threshold value; and

a notification component residing in the computer memory, configured to transmit a notification to at least one parent responsive to a determination that a received identity is false.