Identity verification and authentication

• US 9,595,057 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2016
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gandhi, Shaheen Ashok, Papakipos, Matthew Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Reza, Mohammad W
• Application Number:
  US15/041,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20160162963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 726/7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

In one embodiment, receiving, at a first computing device associated with a social-networking system and from a second computing device, a first request to verify an identity of a user of the social-networking system; sending, by the first computing device and to a mobile device associated with the user, a second request for information about the user; receiving, at the first computing device and from the mobile device, the information about the user; determining, by the first computing device, a confidence score indicating a probability that the identity of the user is true based on the information about the user received from the mobile device and information available to the social-networking system; and sending, by the first computing device and to the second computing device, the confidence score.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first computing device associated with a social-networking system from a second computing device associated with a first user of the social-networking system, a first request to verify a claimed identity of a merchant, the social-networking system maintaining information relating to one or more social connections of the first user with additional users of the social-networking system;

sending, by the first computing device to a third computing device associated with the merchant, a second request for information about the merchant;

receiving, at the first computing device from the third computing device, the information about the merchant;

determining, by the first computing device, a confidence score indicating a confidence level of the claimed identity of the merchant, based at least in part on the information received from the third computing device and information available to the social-networking system; and

sending, by the first computing device to the second computing device associated with the user, the confidence score for verifying the claimed identity of the merchant.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recognizing the third computing device as a trusted device known by the social-networking system to be associated with an account of the merchant with the social-networking system, based at least in part on the information received from the third computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request includes a unique application identifier that identifies an application associated with the merchant that is running on the second computing device, the application enabling the user to purchase of merchandise from the merchant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request is received from the first user during the performance of a financial transaction between the user and the merchant.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

sending the second request for information about the merchant comprises sending a challenge question to the third computing device associated with the merchant; and

receiving the information about the merchant comprises receiving a response to the challenge question; and

the method further comprises;

determining, by the first computing device, that the response to the challenge question is correct; and

determining, by the first computing device, the confidence score indicating the confidence level of the claimed identity of the merchant based at least in part on the response to the challenge question.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the merchant as received from the third computing device comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

an identifier of a user account associated with the merchant of the social-networking system;

an identifier of the third computing device;

a current location of the third computing device;

an image of a face associated with the merchant;

a recording of a voice associated with the merchant;

a finger print associated with the merchant; and

a signal from a Bluetooth device associated with the third computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information available to the social-networking system comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

one or more social connections of the merchant;

one or more messages posted by the merchant;

one or more images uploaded by the merchant; and

one or more check-ins made by the merchant.

8. A first computing device associated with a social-networking 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, from a second computing device associated with a first user of the social-networking system, a first request to verify a claimed identity of a merchant, the social-networking system maintaining information relating to one or more social connections of the first user with additional users of the social-networking system;

send, to a third computing device associated with the merchant, a second request for information about the merchant;

receive, from the third computing device associated with the merchant, the information about the merchant;

determine a confidence score indicating a confidence level of the claimed identity of the merchant based at least in part on the information received from the third computing device and information available to the social-networking system; and

send, to the second computing device associated with the user, the confidence score for verifying the claimed identity of the merchant.

9. The first computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

recognize the third computing device as a trusted device known by the social-networking system to be associated with an account of the merchant with the social-networking system, based at least in part on the information received from the third computing device.

10. The first computing device of claim 8, wherein the first request includes a unique application identifier that identifies an application associated with the merchant that is running on the second computing device, the application enabling the user to purchase of merchandise from the merchant.

11. The first computing device of claim 8, wherein the first request is received from the first user during the performance of a financial transaction between the user and the merchant.

12. The first computing device of claim 8, wherein:

sending the second request for information about the merchant comprises sending a challenge question to the third computing device associated with the merchant; and

receiving the information about the merchant comprises receiving a response to the challenge question; and

the one or more processors are further operable when executing the instructions to;

determine that the response to the challenge question is correct; and

determining the confidence score indicating the confidence level of the claimed identity of the merchant based at least in part on the response to the challenge question.

13. The first computing device of claim 8, wherein the information associated with the merchant as received from the third computing device comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

an identifier of a user account associated with the merchant of the social-networking system;

an identifier of the third computing device;

a current location of the third computing device;

an image of a face associated with the merchant;

a recording of a voice associated with the merchant;

a finger print associated with the merchant; and

a signal from a Bluetooth device associated with the third computing device.

14. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software operable when executed by a first computing device associated with a social networking system to:

receive, from a second computing device associated with a first user of the social-networking system, a first request to verify a claimed identity of a merchant, the social-networking system maintaining information relating to one or more social connections of the first user with additional users of the social-networking system;

send, to a third computing device associated with the merchant, a second request for information about the merchant;

receive, from the third computing device associated with the merchant, the information about the merchant;

determine a confidence score indicating a confidence level of the claimed identity of the merchant based at least in part on the information received from the third computing device and information available to the social-networking system; and

send, to the second computing device associated with the user, the confidence score for verifying the claimed identity of the merchant.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the first computing device is further operable to execute the software to:

recognize the third computing device as a trusted device known by the social-networking system to be associated with an account of the merchant with the social-networking system, based at least in part on the information received from the third computing device.

16. The media of claim 14, wherein the first request includes a unique application identifier that identifies an application associated with the merchant that is running on the second computing device, the application enabling the user to purchase of merchandise from the merchant.

17. The media of claim 14, wherein the first request is received from the first user during the performance of a financial transaction between the user and the merchant.

18. The media of claim 14, wherein:

sending the second request comprises send a challenge question to the third computing device associated with the merchant; and

receiving the information about the merchant comprises receiving a response to the challenge question; and

the first computing device is further operable to execute the software to;

determine that the response to the challenge question is correct; and

determining the confidence score indicating the confidence level of the claimed identity of the merchant based at least in part on the response to the challenge question.

19. The media of claim 14, wherein the information associated with the merchant as received from the third computing device comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

an identifier of a user account associated with the merchant of the social-networking system;

an identifier of the third computing device;

a current location of the third computing device;

an image of a face associated with the merchant;

a recording of a voice associated with the merchant;

a finger print associated with the merchant; and

a signal from a Bluetooth device associated with the third computing device.