Method for hiding activity group member identification information, server and terminal

• US 9,805,426 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2014
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Wang, Dong
• Primary Examiner(s): Tang, Karen
• Application Number:
  US14/260,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20140237050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 709204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent

Abstract

A method at a server system includes: grouping multiple users into an activity group, where each user has a unique identifier across different activity groups; generating, for each user of the activity group, a dynamic identifier within the activity group and a mapping between the dynamic identifier and the user'"'"'s corresponding unique identifier, where the dynamic identifier may identify different users within different activity groups; receiving an operation instruction from a first user of the activity group, the operation instruction including a first unique identifier associated with the first user; identifying a first dynamic identifier associated with the first user within the activity group based on the first unique identifier associated with the first user; associating with the operation instruction the first dynamic identifier associated with the first user within the activity group; and sending the operation instruction and the first dynamic identifier to the users of the activity group.

Claims

1. A method of anonymizing users of an online service, comprising:

at a server system;

receiving log-in information from a user, wherein the login information includes a unique identifier that is indicative of the user'"'"'s identity;

generating, for the user, a dynamic identifier for an activity group of which the user is a member, wherein the activity group includes a plurality of users other than the user;

storing the dynamic identifier as a randomly generated key value for the unique identifier;

receiving an operation instruction from the user, the operation instruction including the unique identifier and a request to perform an operation within the activity group;

using the unique identifier, identifying, among a plurality of pre-stored randomly generated key values, a randomly generated key value as the dynamic identifier for the user;

hiding the identity of the user from whom respective operation instructions are received by;

sending, to the plurality of users of the activity group, the operation instruction for execution of the operation by the plurality of users, wherein the user is identified to the plurality of users only by the dynamic identifier and not the unique identifier for the user; and

after a time period has elapsed since the generating operation, while the user is still in the activity group, re-generating a new dynamic identifier for the user from which to send subsequent operation instructions for execution of the operation by the plurality of users in replacement of the previously-generated dynamic identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, for the user, the dynamic identifier for the activity group of which the user is a member includes:

rotating a previously assigned dynamic identifier associated with another user of the activity group to the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the new dynamic identifier for the user includes:

randomly generating the new dynamic identifier for the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a length of the time period is predefined.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a length of the time period is random.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period is synchronized across the plurality of users of the activity group.

7. A server system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

receiving log-in information from a user, wherein the login information includes a unique identifier that is indicative of the user'"'"'s identity;

generating, for the user, a dynamic identifier for an activity group of which the user is a member, wherein the activity group includes a plurality of users other than the user;

storing the dynamic identifier as a randomly generated key value for the unique identifier;

receiving an operation instruction from the user, the operation instruction including the unique identifier and a request to perform an operation within the activity group;

using the unique identifier, identifying, among a plurality of pre-stored randomly generated key values, a randomly generated key value as the dynamic identifier for the user;

hiding the identity of the user from whom respective operation instructions are received by;

sending, to the plurality of users of the activity group, the operation instruction for execution of the operation by the plurality of users, wherein the user is identified to the plurality of users only by the dynamic identifier and not the unique identifier for the user; and

after a time period has elapsed since the generating operation, while the user is still in the activity group, re-generating a new dynamic identifier for the user from which to send subsequent operation instructions for execution of the operation by the plurality of users in replacement of the previously-generated dynamic identifier.

8. The server system of claim 7, wherein generating, for the user, the dynamic identifier for the activity group of which the user is a member includes:

rotating a previously assigned dynamic identifier associated with another user of the activity group to the user.

9. The server system of claim 7, wherein generating the new dynamic identifier for the user includes:

randomly generating the new dynamic identifier for the user.

10. The server system of claim 7, wherein a length of the time period is predefined.

11. The server system of claim 7, wherein a length of the time period is random.

12. The server system of claim 7, wherein the time period is synchronized across the plurality of users of the activity group.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a server system, cause the server system to:

receive log-in information from a user, wherein the login information includes a unique identifier that is indicative of the user'"'"'s identity;

generate, for the user, a dynamic identifier for an activity group of which the user is a member, wherein the activity group includes a plurality of users other than the user;

store the dynamic identifier as a randomly generated key value for the unique identifier;

receive an operation instruction from the user, the operation instruction including the unique identifier and a request to perform an operation within the activity group;

using the unique identifier, identifying, among a plurality of pre-stored randomly generated key values, a randomly generated key value as the dynamic identifier for the user;

hide the identity of the user from whom respective operation instructions are received by;

sending, to the plurality of users of the activity group, the operation instruction for execution of the operation by the plurality of users, wherein the user is identified to the plurality of users only by the dynamic identifier and not the unique identifier for the user; and

after a time period has elapsed since the generating operation, while the user is still in the activity group, re-generating a new dynamic identifier for the user from which to send subsequent operation instructions for execution of the operation by the plurality of users in replacement of the previously-generated dynamic identifier.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein generating, for the user, the dynamic identifier for the activity group of which the user is a member includes:

rotating a previously assigned dynamic identifier associated with another user of the activity group to the user.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein generating the new dynamic identifier for the user includes:

randomly generating the new dynamic identifier for the user.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein a length of the time period is predefined.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein a length of the time period is random.