Detecting, classifying, and enforcing policies on social networking activity

• US 9,400,999 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proofpoint Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Proofpoint Incorporated
• Inventors: Sutton, Richard Banks, Dorie, Anthony Lawrence, Yan, Wenchang, Redmond, Devin Hugh, Kruck, Raymond, Nadir, Daniel Oshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilles, Jude Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/844,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/224, 709/242, 726/22, 726/13, 726/15, 726/1, 726/11, 726/23, 713/166, 713/176, 713/153, 713/154, 713/155
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/353 into predefined classes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Technology is disclosed for detecting, classifying, and/or enforcing policies on social networking activity. The technology can store a content policy, classify content posted to a social network, determine that the classification corresponds to the content policy, and apply an action specified by the content policy to the posted content.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computing device to detect, classify, or enforce policies on social networking activity, comprising:

associating a user account with a first account of a first social network and a second account of a second social network;

storing a content policy corresponding to the user account;

objectively classifying content posted to the first social network via the user account, wherein the content is also posted to the second social network via the user account;

determining that the classification violates the content policy; and

applying at least one action specified by the content policy to the content without user input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one action includes deleting the content without user input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing the classifying, determining, and applying on the content when it is posted to the second social network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the classifying occurs before the content is posted to the first social network and after the content is posted to the second social network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the classifying occurs before the content is posted to the first social network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the classifying occurs after the content is posted to the first social network.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, comprising:

instructions for associating a user account with a first account of a first social network and a second account of a second social network;

instructions for storing a content policy corresponding to the user account;

instructions for objectively classifying content posted to the first social network via the user account, wherein the content is also posted to the second social network via the user account;

instructions for determining that the classification violates the content policy; and

instructions for applying at least one action specified by the content policy to the content without user input.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the at least one action is to perform, without further user input, at least one of:

ignore, log, archive, notify, quarantine, remediate, delete, or block.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising performing the classifying, determining, and applying on the content when it is posted to the second social network.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the policy is stored only once for both the first and the second social networks.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the classifying occurs before the content is posted to the first social network and after the content is posted to the second social network.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein the classifying occurs before the content is posted to the first social network.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the classifying occurs after the content is posted to the first social network.

14. A system, comprising:

a central processing unit and a memory;

a component configured to associate a user account with a first account of a first social network and a second account of a second social network;

a component configured to store a content policy corresponding to the user account;

a component configured to objectively classify content posted to the first social network via the user account, wherein the content is also posted to the second social network via the user account;

a component configured to determine that the classification violates the content policy; and

a component configured to apply at least one action specified by the content policy to the content without user input.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one action is to delete the content without user input.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising performing the classifying, determining, and applying on the content when it is posted to the second social network.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the policy is stored only once for both the first and the second social networks.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the classifying occurs before the content is posted to the first social network and after the content is posted to the second social network.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the classifying occurs before the content is posted to the first social network.