Anonymous social networking with community-based privacy reviews obtained by members

• US 8,578,501 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John W.L. Ogilvie
• Original Assignee: John W.L. Ogilvie
• Inventors: OGILVIE, JOHN W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Darren B
• Application Number:
  US11/870,475
• Time in Patent Office: 2,217 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726 2- 10, 726 26- 30, 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A member of an online community has an online identity published in the online community, and owns an offline identity which is not published there. The member manifests consent to a privacy review of an electronic communication involving the member, to help prevent disclosure of the member'"'"'s offline identity within the online community. The electronic communication is reviewed by a human privacy reviewer and/or by automatically scanning for privacy concern triggers. Review results are provided to the member, who provides an opinion of the review that is then reflected in a summary of the reviewer'"'"'s online reputation.

Claims

1. A method for use by a consenting member of an online community, the method comprising the consenting member:

having an online identity which is published within the online community;

owning an offline identity which is not published within the online community, and which includes characteristics of the consenting member'"'"'s offline identity which are designated by electronically stored data that is not published within the online community, the characteristics comprising at least two of the following;

geographic territory, profession, a discussion topic listed for an existing forum in the online community, gender, marital status, ethnicity, race, age, organization membership, or religious affiliation; and

electronically manifesting consent to regulated review of electronic communications between the consenting member and at least one other member of the online community, the consent including consent to reducing offline identity disclosure risk by comparing electronic communications with at least two characteristics of the consenting member'"'"'s offline identity which are designated by electronically stored data that is not published within the online community; and

electronically obtaining a result of regulated review of the electronic communications.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the consenting member receiving a notice that the regulated review is based at least in part on automatically scanning the electronic communications.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the consenting member receiving a notice that the regulated review is based at least in part on scanning the electronic communications before delivery of the electronic communications to an intended receiver.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the consenting member receiving a notice that the regulated review is also based at least in part on scanning the electronic communications for at least one of the following:

personal name, family name, phone number, offline address, online address, geographic name, or landmark name.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the consenting member receiving a notice that the regulated review is also based at least in part on scanning the electronic communications for at least one of the following:

a question seeking geographic information, or a question seeking employment information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the consenting member receiving a notice that the regulated review is also based at least in part on scanning the electronic communications for an indication of at least one of the following:

title, or profession.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the consenting member editing at least one of the electronic communications after obtaining the regulated review and before delivery of the edited electronic communication(s) to an intended receiver.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the consenting member editing at least one of the electronic communications after obtaining the regulated review and then electronically submitting the edited electronic communication(s) for regulated review.

9. A computer system configured for use by a consenting member of an online community to execute computer-executable instructions, the consenting member having an online identity in the online community, the system comprising:

a memory configured with the computer-executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled with the memory, that executes the computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising the following steps;

the member electronically manifesting consent to regulated review of electronic communications between the consenting member and at least one other member of the online community, the consent including consent to reduce offline identity disclosure risk by comparing electronic communications with at least two characteristics of an offline identity of the consenting member which are designated by electronically stored data that is not published within the online community, the offline identity having at least one characteristic which is not present in the online identity, the offline identity characteristics comprising at least two of the following;

geographic territory, profession, a discussion topic listed for an existing forum in the online community, gender, marital status, ethnicity, race, age, organization membership, or religious affiliation; and

the consenting member electronically obtaining a result of regulated review of the electronic communications.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor coupled with the memory executes computer-executable instructions for the consenting member to electronically receive a notice that the regulated review is performed at least in part by a human reviewer who also belongs to the online community.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor coupled with the memory executes computer-executable instructions for the consenting member to electronically provide an authority within the online community with an opinion in response to regulated review which was performed at least in part by a human reviewer who is not the consenting member.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor coupled with the memory executes computer-executable instructions for the consenting member to electronically receive a reputation summary of a human reviewer, the reputation summary being a response to opinions of online community members about regulated reviews performed by the human reviewer.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor coupled with the memory executes computer-executable instructions for the consenting member to electronically receive at least one of the following:

a notice that the offline identity of the consenting member is kept hidden from a human reviewer who performs regulated review, or a notice that the online identity of the consenting member is kept hidden from a human reviewer who performs regulated review.

14. A configured storage device configured with data and instructions to cause a processor and a memory to perform steps of a method for use by a consenting member of an online community, the member having an online identity which is published within the online community, the member owning an offline identity which is not published within the online community, the method steps comprising:

the member electronically manifesting consent to regulated review of electronic communications between the consenting member and at least one other member of the online community, the consent including consent to reducing offline identity disclosure risk by comparing electronic communications with at least two characteristics of the consenting member'"'"'s offline identity which are designated by electronically stored data that is not published within the online community, the characteristics comprising at least three of the following;

geographic territory, profession, a discussion topic listed for an existing forum in the online community, gender, marital status, ethnicity, race, age, organization membership, or religious affiliation; and

the consenting member electronically obtaining a result of the privacy regulated review of the electronic communications by the privacy reviewer.

15. The configured storage device of claim 14, wherein the consenting member electronically manifests consent specifying that website addresses and email addresses in electronic communications are subject to regulated review.

16. The configured storage device of claim 14, wherein the consenting member electronically manifests consent specifying that offline addresses in electronic communications are subject to regulated review.

17. The configured storage device of claim 14, wherein the consenting member electronically manifests consent specifying that images in electronic communications are subject to regulated review.

18. The configured storage device of claim 14, wherein the consenting member is notified that the regulated review is performed at least in part by a human reviewer.

19. The configured storage device of claim 14, wherein the consenting member electronically receives notice that regulated review includes submission of the electronic communication to a human reviewer if a privacy concern trigger is found by automatic scanning of an electronic communication.

20. The configured storage device of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises the consenting member electronically specifying at least one geographic region, and the consenting member electronically manifests consent to regulated review of the electronic communication by a human reviewer who resides outside the at least one geographic region.

21. The configured storage medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises the consenting member electronically specifying at least one regulated reviewer selection criterion.