Methods and systems for controlling access to relationship information in a social network

• US 8,775,326 B1
• Filed: 03/26/2013
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Spertus, Ellen, Drobychev, Alexandre, Nielsen, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Jasmin, Lynda
• Assistant Examiner(s): SENSENIG, SHAUN D
• Application Number:
  US13/850,783
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 705/319
• US Class Current: 705/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling access to relationship information in a social network are described. One described method comprises receiving a request from an observer for relationship information indicating at least a first relationship between a target in a social network and a second entity in the social network, identifying at least a first privacy rule for the first relationship, and outputting at least part of the relationship information to the observer if the first privacy rule is satisfied.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a first request via a communications network from a first user to view a social network information associated with a second user, the first user having a first user-established relationship and a second user-established relationship with the second user in a social network;

Identifying a third user having a third user-established relationship with the second user;

identifying a first privacy rule associated with the second user based on the first and third user-established relationships;

identifying a second privacy rule associated with the second user based on the second and third user-established relationships;

determining a third privacy rule based on the first identified privacy rule and identified privacy rule;

a computer processor determining what social network information associated with the second user to provide to the first user based at least in part on the third privacy rule; and

providing the determined social network information associated with the second user to the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the third privacy rule is a union of the first privacy rule and the second privacy rule.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second request via the communications network from a fourth user to view the social network information associated with the second user, the fourth user being connected to the second user via a fifth user in the social network;

determining whether the fifth user can be used as an intermediary for providing the social network information associated with the second user to the fourth user based at least in part on relationships between the fourth and fifth users and between the second and fifth users;

responsive to determining that the fifth user can be used as the intermediary for providing the social network information associated with the second user to the fourth user, determining a fourth privacy rule associated with the second user; and

providing the social network information associated with the second user to the fourth user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the third privacy rule specifies that the first user has rights to view the social network information if one of the first and second user-established relationships has a same type of relationship as the third user-established relationship.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the social network information includes relationship information and profile information received from users of the social network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an indication that the first user is not permitted to access the social network information responsive to determining that the first user does not have rights to access the social network information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the third privacy rule specifies that the first user has rights to view the social network information based in part on degrees of separation of the first and second user-established relationships.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user-established relationship is weighted higher than the second user-established relationship.

9. A computer system comprising:

a database comprising a social network information, wherein the social network information comprises relationship information and profile information received from users of a social network;

a relationship processor executable to;

receive a first request from a first user to view the social network information associated with a second user via a communications network, and identify a third user having a third user-established relationship with the first second user;

a privacy rule module stored in a memory associated with the one or more computing devices and executable by the one or more computing devices to;

identify a first privacy rule associated with the second user based on the first and third user-established relationships,

identify a second privacy rule associated with the second user based on the second and third user-established relationships;

determine a third privacy rule based on the first and second privacy rules, and

determine whether the first user has rights to view the social network information based on the third privacy rule; and

a display processor executable to provide the social network information to the second user via the communications network responsive to determining that the first user has the rights to view the social network information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the third privacy rule is a union of the first privacy rule and the second privacy rule.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the relationship processor is further executable to receive a second request via the communications network from a fourth user to view the social network information associated with the second user, the fourth user being connected to the second user via a fifth user in the social network, wherein the privacy rule module is further executable to determine whether the fifth user can be used as an intermediary for providing the social network information associated with the second user to the fourth user based at least in part on relationships between the fourth and fifth users and between the second and fifth users, and responsive to determining that the fifth user can be used as the intermediary for providing the social network information associated with the second user to the fourth user, determine a fourth privacy rule associated with the second user, and wherein the display processor is further executable to provide the social network information associated with the second user to the fourth user.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the third privacy rule specifies that the first user has the rights to view the social network information if one of the first and second user-established relationships has the same type as the third user-established relationship.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the first user-established relationship is weighted higher than the second user-established relationship.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the display processor is further executable to provide an indication that the first user is not permitted to access the social network information responsive to determining that the first user does not have the rights to access the social network information.

15. A computer program product having a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium having computer-executable instructions, the instructions when executed by a processor configured to perform steps comprising:

receiving a first request via a communications network from a first user to view a social network information associated with a second user, the first user having a first user-established relationship and a second user-established relationship with the second user in a social network;

identifying a third user having a third user-established relationship with the second user;

identifying a first privacy rule associated with the second user based on the first and third user-established relationships;

identifying a second privacy rule associated with the second user based on the second and third user-established relationships;

determining a third privacy rule based on the first and second privacy rules;

a computer processor determining what social network information associated with the second user to provide to the first user based at least in part on the third privacy rule; and

providing the determined social network information associated with the second user to the first user.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the third privacy rule is a union of the first privacy rule and the second privacy rule.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a second request via the communications network from a fourth user to view the social network information associated with the second user, the fourth user being connected to the second user via a fifth user in the social network;

determining whether the fifth user can be used as an intermediary for providing the social network information associated with the second user to the fourth user based at least in part on relationships between the fourth and fifth users and between the second and fifth users;

responsive to determining that the fifth user can be used as an intermediary for providing the social network information associated with the second user to the fourth user, determining a forth privacy rule associated with the second user; and

providing the social network information associated with the second user to the fourth user.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the third privacy rule specifies that the first user has rights to view the social network information if one of the first and second user-established relationships has the same type as the third user-established relationship.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the social network information includes relationship information and profile information received from users of a social network.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor are further configured to perform steps comprising:

providing an indication that the first user is not permitted to access the social network information responsive to determining that the first user does not have rights to access the social network information.