Controlling access of user information using social-networking information

• US 9,158,819 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lunt, Christopher, Galbreath, Nicholas, Winner, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US12/975,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 707/722, 707/727
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

Particular embodiments access a query submitted by a first user; retrieve information concerning one or more second users; retrieve a degree of separation between the first user and each second user within a social-networking system; and for each second user, if the degree of separation between the first user and the second user is less than or equal to a threshold degree of separation, then send the information concerning the second user to the first user in response to the query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, a query from a first user of a social-networking system, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, each edge between two nodes representing a relationship between them and establishing a single degree of separation between them, wherein the first user corresponds to a first node of the graph;

retrieving, by the one or more computing devices, one or more second users of the social-networking system that match the query from the first user, the one or more second users corresponding to one or more second nodes of the graph, respectively, each retrieved second user having a visibility setting specifying a threshold degree of separation, the visibility setting of each second user specifying which other users of the social-networking system can view information from the social-networking system associated with the second user based on the other user'"'"'s degree of separation from the second user;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, for each of the second users, the degree of separation between the first node corresponding to the first user and the second node corresponding to the second user; and

providing, by the one or more computing devices, information associated with each second user corresponding to a second node having a degree of separation less than or equal to the threshold degree of separation specified in the visibility setting of the second user for display to the first user in response to the query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the second user is personal information of the second user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the second user is information provided by the second user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection of each second user to the first user within the social-networking system is specified at least in part by the second user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each second user having a degree of separation greater than the threshold degree of separation specified in the visibility setting of the second user, providing a notification that the information associated with the second user is not accessible to the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from each second user, the information associated with the second user; and

storing the information associated with each second user in a data store.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold degree of separation is one, two, three, or all.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the degree of separation between the first node corresponding to the first user and the second node corresponding to the second user comprises, for each of the second users:

sending to the social-networking system a request comprising a first identifier of the first user and a second identifier of the second user; and

receiving from the social-networking system the degree of separation between the first user and the second user.

9. A system comprising:

a memory comprising instructions executable by one or more processors; and

the one or more processors coupled to the memory and operable to execute the instructions, the one or more processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

receive a query from a first user of a social-networking system, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, each edge between two nodes representing a relationship between them and establishing a single degree of separation between them, wherein the first user corresponds to a first node of the graph;

retrieve one or more second users of the social-networking system that match the query from the first user, the one or more second users corresponding to one or more second nodes of the graph, respectively, each retrieved second user having a visibility setting specifying a threshold degree of separation, the visibility setting of each second user specifying which other users of the social-networking system can view information from the social-networking system associated with the second user based on the other user'"'"'s degree of separation from the second user;

determine for each of the second users, the degree of separation between the first node corresponding to the first user and the second node corresponding to the second user; and

provide information associated with each second user corresponding to a second node having a degree of separation less than or equal to the threshold degree of separation specified in the visibility setting of the second user for display to the first user in response to the query.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the information associated with the second user is personal information of the second user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the information associated with the second user is information provided by the second user.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the connection of each second user to the first user within the social-networking system is specified at least in part by the second user.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising, for each second user having a degree of separation greater than the threshold degree of separation specified in the visibility setting of the second user, providing a notification that the information associated with the second user is not accessible to the first user.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

receive, from each second user, the information associated with the second user; and

store the information associated with each second user in a data store.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the threshold degree of separation is one, two, three, or all.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein determining the degree of separation between the first node corresponding to the first user and the second node corresponding to the second user comprises, for each of the second users:

sending to the social-networking system a request comprising a first identifier of the first user and a second identifier of the second user; and

receiving from the social-networking system the degree of separation between the first user and the second user.

17. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software operable when executed by one or more computer systems to:

receive a query from a first user of a social-networking system, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, each edge between two nodes representing a relationship between them and establishing a single degree of separation between them, wherein the first user corresponds to a first node of the graph;

retrieve one or more second users of the social-networking system that match the query from the first user, the one or more second users corresponding to one or more second nodes of the graph, respectively, each retrieved second user having a visibility setting specifying a threshold degree of separation, the visibility setting of each second user specifying which other users of the social-networking system can view information from the social-networking system associated with the second user based on the other user'"'"'s degree of separation from the second user;

determine for each of the second users, the degree of separation between the first node corresponding to the first user and the second node corresponding to the second user; and

provide information associated with each second user corresponding to a second node having a degree of separation less than or equal to the threshold degree of separation specified in the visibility setting of the second user for display to the first user in response to the query.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the information associated with the second user is personal information of the second user.

19. The media of claim 17, wherein the information associated with the second user is information provided by the second user.

20. The media of claim 17, wherein the connection of each second user to the first user within the social-networking system is specified at least in part by the second user.