Content developer abuse detection

• US 8,984,151 B1
• Filed: 02/05/2013
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Sharon, Hsieh, Sheng Chi, Mote, Nicolaus Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Osman, Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US13/759,712
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 709/223, 709/225, 709/229, 709/204, 709/224, 706/12, 706/48, 726/5, 726/27
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A server that manages download and/or distribution of content may collect content-related information associated with users, and classify the users based on that data. The content-related information may comprise data relating to content generation and/or upload by the users. The server may determine whether a user is granted permission to upload content for distribution or download via the server, based on correlating the user with a previously classified user, and/or on evaluation of current content generation or download activities associated with the user. Determination of whether the user is granted permission to upload content may be done directly and/or autonomously by the server. Alternatively, a recommendation whether to grant permission to upload content may be submitted by the server to another entity for selection thereby. The server may reject or accept a content upload request from the user based on the determination of whether the user is granted permission.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, via a server system, a request from a user, associated with a user account, to upload content to the server system;

identifying, via the upload request, information associated with the user account;

comparing, via the server system, the information associated with the user account to information associated with previously identified user accounts;

identifying, via the server system, and based on the comparing, the user account as a banned account if a threshold amount of the information associated with the user account matches information associated with a previously identified banned account, wherein, if the user account is identified as a banned account, then the request to upload content is denied, and if the user account is not identified as a banned account, then the method further comprises;

obtaining by a server system, content-related information associated with the user, wherein the content-related information comprises data relating to at least one of content generation or upload activities by the user, and wherein at least a portion of the content-related information is different than the information associated with the user account;

identifying, via the server system, whether the user is granted permission to upload content for distribution or download, via the server system, the identifying comprising;

correlating the at least one of content generation or upload activities by the user with at least one of content generation or upload activities performed by a plurality of previously classified users that have previously provided content and are different than the user, and

rejecting or accepting, via the server system, a content upload request received from the user based on the identifying whether the user is granted permission to upload content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content-related information comprises one or more of:

data relating to classification of content associated with the user as violating one or more applicable content distribution policies, data relating to banning of content associated with the user by one or more other users, data relating to the user or to activities of the user associated with generation or publishing of content, data relating to one or more accounts associated with the user used in generating or publishing of content, data relating to identification of other accounts associated with the user, or market related data pertaining to content associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the user account comprises at least one of:

a user name, a user identifier name or icon, information relating to a website used in interacting with the server or publishing of content, or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

evaluating at least one of current content generation or current download activities associated with the user based on determining whether the at least one of current content generation or current download activities meet a user classification criteria or threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

evaluating at least one of current content generation or current download activities associated with the user based on at least one of a total number of submitted content, a total number of accepted content, or a total number of rejected content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises one or more applications configured for at least one of download to, or use in, an electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic device comprises a smartphone or a tablet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the user account as a banned account further comprises:

identifying the user account as associated with a user engaged in providing restricted content or malicious code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of previously classified users are identified by evaluating at least one of current content generation or current download activities associated with the developer of current content or content to be downloaded.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user account and an account associated with at least one previously classified user are separate user accounts of a single entity.

11. A system, comprising:

a server system to;

receive a request from a user, associated with a user account, to upload content to the server system;

identify information associated with the user account;

compare the information associated with the user account to information associated with previously identified user accounts;

identify, based on the comparing, the user account as a banned account if a threshold amount of the information associated with the user account matches information associated with a previously identified banned account, wherein, if the user account is identified as a banned account, then the request to upload content is denied, and if the user account is not identified as a banned account, then the server system further is to;

obtain content-related information associated with the user, wherein the content-related information comprises data relating to at least one of content generation or upload activities by the user, and wherein at least a portion of the content-related information is different than the information associated with the user account;

identify whether the user is granted permission to upload content for distribution or download, via the server system, wherein, when the server system is to identify whether the user is granted permission to upload content for distribution or download, the server system is to;

correlate the at least one of content generation or upload activities by the user with at least one of content generation or upload activities performed by a plurality of previously classified users that have previously provided content and are different than the user, and

reject or accept a content upload request received from the user based on the identifying whether the user is granted permission to upload content.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the content-related information comprises:

data relating to classification of content associated with user as violating one or more applicable content distribution policies, data relating to banning of content associated with the user by one or more other users, data relating to the user or to activities of the user associated with generation or publishing of content, data relating to one or more accounts associated with the user used in generating or publishing content, data relating to identification of other accounts associated with the user, and/or market related data pertaining to content associated with the user.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the information associated with the user account comprises at least one of:

a user name, a user identifier name or icon, information relating to a website used in interacting with the server or publishing of content, or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the server system is configured to:

evaluate at least one of current content generation or current download activities associated with the user based on determining whether the at least one of current content generation or current download activities meet a user classification criteria or threshold.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the server system is configured to:

evaluate at least one of current content generation or current download activities associated with the user based on at least one of a total number of submitted content, a total number of accepted content, or a total number of rejected content.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the content comprises one or more applications configured for at least one of download to, or use in, an electronic device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the electronic device comprises a smartphone or a tablet.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the user account and an account associated with at least one previously classified user are separate user accounts of a single entity.