Notification upon exposure to offensive behavioral patterns in collaboration

• US 8,904,547 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2009
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Doddy, Leigh T., Hockings, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US12/348,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20100175129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: 726/27, 709/203, 709/206
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A system and method for protecting a user from offensive behavior in communications and notifying the user and/or an enforcement entity of the offensive behavior. The offensive content analysis system monitors communications between users for offensive behavior. The offensive content analysis system may measure the level of current offense in the communication and determine a historical offensive behavior pattern for the user. The offensive content analysis system may then determine if the offensive behavior, both current and historical, rises to a threshold behavior level. The offensive content analysis system may take notification action if the offensive behavior meets the threshold level.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of threshold levels from a plurality of enforcement entities, the plurality of enforcement entities each having different entity types;

associating a threshold level of the plurality of threshold levels with an enforcement entity providing the threshold level;

detecting a communication from a device, wherein the communication is associated with a user;

determining an offensive behavior metric of the communication, wherein the offensive behavior metric is a level of offensive material contained in the communication during a current communication session;

determining a historical offensive behavior metric from a stored historical offensive behavior pattern;

determining that the offensive behavior metric reached at least two of the plurality of threshold levels; and

notifying a subset of enforcement entities of the plurality of enforcement entities associated with the at least two of the plurality of threshold levels about the offensive behavior.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the enforcement entity further comprises notifying a victim of the offensive behavior.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the enforcement entity is a guardian of a receiver of the communication.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the guardian taking an action to prevent the receiver from further communication with the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the enforcement entity further comprises notifying a message server.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising taking an escalation notification action.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein taking the escalation notification action further comprises notifying a law enforcement agency of the offensive behavior.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein taking the escalation notification action further comprises sending the user a warning regarding the offensive behavior.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein taking the escalation notification action further comprises suspending the user'"'"'s account with the message server.

10. An apparatus comprising:

an offensive behavior unit configured to analyze a communication from a user and determine an offensive behavior metric for the;

a threshold behavior unit configured to compare the offensive behavior metric a plurality of threshold behavior levels, wherein the plurality of threshold behavior levels are established by a plurality of enforcement entities having different entity types, wherein each behavior level of the threshold behavior levels are associated with an enforcement entity providing the threshold behavior level; and

a notification unit configured to notify a subset of at least two of the enforcement entities associated with a subset of at least two of the plurality of threshold behavior levels in response to determining that the offensive behavior metric reaches the at least two of the plurality of threshold behavior levels.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the enforcement entity is a guardian of a communication receiver.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the notification unit is configured to take alert the guardian of the offensive behavior using an instant message.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the threshold behavior level is determined by the enforcement entity.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the enforcement entity is a message server.

15. A computer program product for providing notification of offensive behavior, the computer program product comprising a computer readable memory device having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of threshold levels from a plurality of enforcement entities;

associating a threshold level of the plurality of threshold levels with an enforcement entity of the plurality of enforcement entities providing the threshold level;

detecting a communication from a device, wherein the communication is associated with a user;

determining an offensive behavior metric of the communication, wherein the offensive behavior metric is a level of offensive material contained in the communication during a current communication session;

determining a historical offensive behavior metric from a stored historical offensive behavior pattern;

determining that the offensive behavior metric reached at least two of the plurality of threshold levels; and

notifying a subset of the plurality of enforcement entities associated with the at least two of the plurality of threshold levels about the offensive behavior.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein notifying the enforcement entity further comprises notifying a victim of the offensive behavior.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the enforcement entity is a guardian of a receiver of the communication.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise the guardian taking an action to prevent the receiver from further communication with the user.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein notifying the enforcement entity further comprises notifying a message server.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise taking an escalation notification action.