Advocate for facilitating verification for the online presence of an entity

• US 8,713,651 B1
• Filed: 08/15/2013
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dun & Bradstreet Corp., DUN & Bradstreet Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Corp.), Hoover's Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Credibility Corp. (Dun & Bradstreet Corp.)
• Inventors: Stibel, Jeffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mahfuzur
• Application Number:
  US13/968,045
• Time in Patent Office: 257 Days
• Field of Search: 726/5
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

Some embodiments provide an advocate system to facilitate automated online presence verification for different entities on behalf of the entities. The advocate system places service providers on notice that profiles and information hosted by them and that form the online presence for a particular entity should first be verified with that particular entity. The advocate system further facilitates online presence verification by 1) directly or indirectly connecting the service providers that are placed on notice with the appropriate authoritative entities to facilitate the verification of the profiles and information, 2) selectively targeting service providers hosting profiles and information that are unverified, 3) automatedly verifying hosted profiles and information based on a verified profile lists and verified information that authoritative entities provide to a central repository. In so doing, the advocate system prevents potential damage to the authoritative entity'"'"'s credibility while also mitigating potential for fraud, identity theft, etc.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a verification system comprising a server with a processor and non-transitory computer-readable storage, the computer-implemented method for facilitating verification of an online presence of a particular entity, the computer-implemented method comprising:

querying each of a plurality of service providers that independently host an unverified online presence of the particular entity, wherein the unverified online presence comprises at least one of information and a profile for the particular entity that has not been verified;

identifying a subset of the plurality of service providers hosting the unverified online presence of the particular entity;

providing, to each service provider of the subset of service providers, notice of the unverified online presence of the particular entity that is hosted by the service provider, wherein providing the notice elicits action from at least one particular service provider of the subset of service providers to verify the online presence of the particular entity that is hosted by the particular service provider; and

passing from the verification system to the particular entity, a listing identifying the subset of service providers that host the unverified online presence for the particular entity.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining verified information for inclusion with a verified online presence of the particular entity.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein identifying the subset of the plurality of service providers comprises identifying each service provider of the plurality of service providers that hosts information about the particular entity that does not match the verified information.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the notice comprises the verified information, and wherein the elicited action comprises the particular service provider updating the unverified online presence that the particular service provider hosts for the particular entity with the verified information.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the notice comprises contact information of the particular entity, and wherein the elicited action comprises enabling the particular service provider to verify the unverified online presence hosted by the particular service provider with the particular entity by using the contact information.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising confirming with at least one of the particular entity and the particular service provider that an online presence of the particular entity hosted by the particular service provider has been verified.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising notifying the particular service provider that the online presence hosted by the particular service provider is verified.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein notifying the particular service provider that the online presence hosted by the particular service provider is verified comprises providing a graphical badge to the particular service provider for display in conjunction with the online presence of the particular entity at the particular service provider, said graphical badge identifying a verified status of the particular entity'"'"'s online presence at the particular service provider.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising adding the particular service provider to a list of service providers hosting a verified online presence of the particular entity, wherein the list of service providers hosting the verified online presence is stored to the non-transitory computer-readable storage of the verification system.

10. A computer-implemented method performed by a verification system comprising a server with at least one processor, the computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a set of service providers that host an unverified online presence of a particular entity;

effectuating verification of the unverified online presence of the particular entity that is hosted by a particular service provider of the set of service providers, wherein effectuating verification comprises providing from the verification system to each service provider of the set of service providers, (i) notice that the service provider hosts the unverified online present of the particular entity and at least one of (ii) verified information that is obtained from the particular entity and (iii) contact information of an authorized source for verification of the particular entity'"'"'s online presence, wherein the contact information comprises at least one of contact information of the particular entity and contact information for the verification system; and

verifying the unverified online presence of the particular entity that is hosted by the particular service provider based on confirmation from the particular entity, that at least one of information and a profile comprising the online presence of the particular entity at the particular service provider is verified.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the unverified online presence comprises at least one of information and a profile relating to the particular entity that has not been verified by the particular entity.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 further comprising obtaining at least one of verified information and a list of verified profiles from the particular entity.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 further comprising scraping information or profiles related to the particular entity from a plurality of service providers, wherein the plurality of service providers comprises the set of service providers.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein identifying the set of service providers that host the unverified online presence of the particular entity comprises identifying any service provider from the plurality of service providers as hosting an unverified online presence of the particular entity when the information or profile scraped from the service provider does not match to the verified information or a profile from the list of verified profiles.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein identifying the set of service providers comprises searching a plurality of service providers using at least one identifier identifying the particular entity in order to detect the set of service providers that host the unverified online presence of the particular entity.

16. For a verification system comprising at least one server with a processor and non-transitory computer-readable memory, a computer-implemented method performed by the verification system for facilitating verification of an online presence of a particular entity, the computer-implemented method comprising:

storing to the non-transitory computer-readable memory, verified information comprising information that the particular entity approves for inclusion as part of a verified online presence of the particular entity;

identifying a set of a plurality of service providers that host an online presence of the particular entity;

comparing, by the verification system, the verified information stored to the non-transitory computer-readable medium with information from the online presence of the particular entity that is hosted by each service provider of the set of service providers;

providing notification from the verification system to a particular service provider of the set of service providers that a particular online presence of the particular entity that is hosted by the particular service provider is unverified when the verified information does not match with the information contained within the particular online presence, said notification effectuating verification of the particular online presence by including at least one of (i) contact information, (ii) identification of information contained within the particular online presence that does not match with the verified information, and (iii) verified information that does not match with the information contained within the particular online presence; and

confirming that the online presence of the particular entity at the particular service provider contains verified information and submitting a verification seal to the particular service provider for display in conjunction with the online presence of the particular entity, the verification seal indicating that the online presence of the particular entity contains information verified by the particular entity.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 further comprising providing verification confirmation to the particular service provider when the verified information matches with the information contained within the online presence of the particular entity that is hosted by the particular service provider.