Automated privacy level suggestions for social networking

• US 9,313,210 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Coletrane, Candice L., Pagan, William G., Parker, Adam J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tan, Alvin
• Application Number:
  US13/170,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20120331396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for the automated suggestion of a privacy level setting for a new connection in a social network. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for automated suggestions of privacy level settings for a new connection in a social network is provided. The method includes receiving a new connection for an end user of a social network and identifying mutual connections between the new connection and the end user. Thereafter, a suggested privacy setting for the new connection can be displayed in a display of a computer based upon privacy settings of the identified mutual connections. Optionally, a selection can be received of a different privacy setting than the suggested privacy setting and the different privacy setting can be established for the new connection.

Claims

1. A method for automated suggestions of privacy level settings for a new connection in a social network, the method comprising:

receiving a new social media connection for an end user of a social network;

identifying mutual social media connections between the new social media connection and the end user of the social network;

displaying in a display of a computer a suggested social media privacy setting for a selected social media privacy setting of the new social media connection based upon a comparison of privacy settings already established for individual ones of the identified mutual social media connections to privacy settings for connections of the end user listed in different privacy level groups;

establishing the suggested social media privacy setting for the selected social media privacy setting of the new social media connection in the social network;

determining if additional social media privacy settings remain to be processed for the new social media connection; and

,

repeating the displaying and establishing for each remaining social media privacy setting for the new social media connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a different privacy setting than the suggested privacy setting; and

,

establishing the different privacy setting for the new connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the suggested privacy setting for the new connection is based upon a privacy level group assigned to a largest set of the mutual connections.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the suggested privacy setting for the new connection is based upon a privacy level group assigned to a most highly ranked one of the mutual connections.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the suggested privacy setting for the new connection is a value computed as an average of values for privacy settings of the mutual connections.

6. A social networking data processing system configured for automated suggestions of privacy level settings for a new connection, the system comprising:

a host server comprising at least one processor and memory and configured for communicative coupling to a plurality of computing devices over a computer communications network;

a social network hosted by the host server; and

,

a privacy level suggestion module coupled to the social network, the module comprising program code enabled upon execution in memory of a computer to identify mutual social media connections between a new social media connection of an end user of the social network and the end user, to display in a graphical user interface (GUI) for the social network a suggested privacy setting for a selected social media privacy setting of the new social media connection based upon a comparison of privacy settings already established for individual ones of the identified mutual social media connections to privacy settings for connections of the end user listed in different privacy level groups, to establish the suggested social media privacy setting for the selected social media privacy setting of the new social media connection in the social network, to determine if additional social media privacy settings remain to be processed for the new social media connection and to repeat the displaying and establishing for each remaining social media privacy setting for the new social media connection.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the suggested privacy setting for the new connection is based upon a privacy level group assigned to a largest set of the mutual connections.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the suggested privacy setting for the new connection is based upon a privacy level group assigned to a most highly ranked one of the mutual connections.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the suggested privacy setting for the new connection is a value computed as an average of values for privacy settings of the mutual connections.

10. A computer program product for automated suggestions of privacy level settings for a new connection in a social network, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code for receiving a new social media connection for an end user of a social network;

computer readable program code for identifying mutual social media connections between the new social media connection and the end user of the social network;

computer readable program code for displaying in a display of a computer a suggested privacy setting for a selected social media privacy setting of the new social media connection based upon a comparison of privacy settings already established for individual ones of the identified mutual social media connections to privacy settings for connections of the end user listed in different privacy level groups;

computer readable program code for establishing the suggested social media privacy setting for the selected social media privacy settings of the new social media connection in the social network;

computer readable program code for determining if additional social media privacy settings remain to be processed for the new social media connection; and

,

computer readable program code for repeating the displaying and establishing for each remaining social media privacy setting for the new social media connection.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

computer readable program code for receiving a selection of a different privacy setting than the suggested privacy setting; and

,

computer readable program code for establishing the different privacy setting for the new connection.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the suggested privacy setting for the new connection is based upon a privacy level group assigned to a largest set of the mutual connections.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the suggested privacy setting for the new connection is based upon a privacy level group assigned to a most highly ranked one of the mutual connections.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the suggested privacy setting for the new connection is a value computed as an average of values for privacy settings of the mutual connections.