Information removal from a network

• US 9,251,177 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2012
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Crave Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Ennis, Patrick John, Knight, Alexander, Dabija, Vlad Grigore, Londergan, Timothy Martin, Ash, David Walter, Suciu, Dominic Dan, Madabushi, Raghuram
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khong, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/701,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 707/770, 707/780
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2468 Fuzzy queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9035 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for systems, methods and devices effective to remove information from a network such as the Internet. In some examples, a device may include a memory including instructions and a processor configured in communication with the memory. The processor may be configured effective to receive user information relating to a user and search the network using the user information. In response to the search, the processor may find additional information relating to the user stored in the network. The processor may receive a first request to remove particular information from the network. The particular information may be part of the additional information and the particular information may be removable by a second user. The processor may send a second request to remove the particular information from the network.

Claims

1. A method to remove information from a social network, the method comprising, by a processor:

receiving user information relating to a first user;

searching the social network using the user information to find additional information stored in the social network relating to the first user, wherein the additional information is different from the user information, and the additional information is inaccessible by the first user;

receiving a first request to remove particular information from the social network, wherein the particular information is part of the additional information found on the social network and inaccessible by the first user, the particular information is removable by a second user, and the first user does not have rights to remove the particular information from the social network;

sending a second request through the social network to remove the particular information from the network to the second user, wherein the second user has the rights to remove the particular information from the social network and the second request includes a proposed modified blurred photograph or video of the first user with an image or video of the first user blurred;

requesting the second user to replace the particular information with the proposed modified blurred photograph or video; and

informing the first user when the second user refuses to remove the particular information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the social network includes searching a social network processor using the user information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the additional information includes a photograph of the first user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the social network includes using an application programming interface provided by a social network processor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the social network includes scraping a screen from a social network processor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the social network includes:

searching a first processor using the user information;

determining that the first processor is linked to a second processor; and

searching the second processor using the user information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the social network includes:

searching a first social network processor using the user information;

determining that the first social network processor is linked to a second social network processor; and

searching the second social network processor using the user information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking the additional information based on a likelihood that the additional information corresponds to the first user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking the additional information based on a sensitivity of the additional information.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking the additional information based on where the additional information was found on the social network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the additional information is stored in a memory that is a number of nodes away from the first user in a social graph; and

the method further comprises ranking the additional information based on the number of nodes.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information includes at least one of a user'"'"'s name, user identification with one or more social networks, age, ethnicity, a location of the user, an image of the user, an audio clip, a video clip, social security number, credit card number or bank account information, password, gender, job status, sexual orientation, residence, occupation, biometric or other sensor data, and/or nationality.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information includes a particular location.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information includes a specified time interval.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request to remove includes obfuscating the information.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request to remove includes requesting removal in exchange for a fee.

17. A device effective to remove information from a social network, the device comprising:

a memory including instructions;

a processor configured in communication with the memory, the processor configured effective to;

receive user information relating to a first user;

search the social network using the user information to find additional information stored in the social network relating to the first user, wherein the additional information is different from the user information, and the additional information is inaccessible by the first user;

receive a first request to remove particular information from the social network, wherein the particular information is part of the additional information found on the social network and inaccessible by the user, the particular information is removable by a second user, and the first user does not have rights to remove the particular information from the social network;

send a second request through the social network to remove the particular information from the network to the second user, wherein the second user has the rights to remove the particular information from the social network and the second request includes a proposed modified blurred photograph or video of the first user with an image or video of the first user blurred;

request the second user to replace the particular information with the proposed modified blurred photograph or video; and

inform the first user when the second user refuses to remove the particular information.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the search of the social network includes a search of a social network processor using the user information.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions effective to remove information from a social network, wherein the execution of the instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to:

receive user information relating to a first user;

search the social network using the user information to find additional information stored in the social network relating to the first user, wherein the additional information is different from the user information, and the additional information is inaccessible by the first user;

receive a first request to remove particular information from the social network, wherein the particular information is part of the additional information found on the social network and inaccessible by the user, the particular information is removable by a second user, and the first user does not have rights to remove the particular information from the social network;

send a second request through the social network to remove the particular information from the network to the second user, wherein the second user has the rights to remove the particular information from the social network and the second request includes a proposed modified blurred photograph or video of the first user with an image or video of the first user blurred;

request the second user to replace the particular information with the proposed modified blurred photograph or video; and

inform the first user when the second user refuses to remove the particular information.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the search of the social network includes a search of a social network processor using the user information.