Identity and trustworthiness verification using online and offline components

• US 10,805,315 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2019
• Issued: 10/13/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Inventors: Kirkham, Stephen, Lewis, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Naghdali, Khalil
• Application Number:
  US16/439,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20190297091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 726 3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

Methods and systems for verifying the identity and trustworthiness of a user of an online system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving online and offline identity information for a user and comparing them to a user profile information provided by the user. Furthermore, the user'"'"'s online activity in a third party online system and the user'"'"'s offline activity are received. Based on the online activity and the offline activity a trustworthiness score may be calculated.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a first-party online system from a third-party online system, information about activities performed by one or more users of the third-party online system in the third-party online system, the received information associated with a user of the first-party online system;

determining, by the first-party online system, an online trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based at least on the received information;

obtaining static offline information about the user of the first-party online system;

determining an offline trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based on data extracted from the static offline information;

determining a trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based on the online trustworthiness score and the offline trustworthiness score; and

responsive to detecting an attempt by one or more other users to interact with the user of the first-party online system in the first-party online system, providing the trustworthiness score of the user of the first-party online system for display to one or more client devices of the one or more other users.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received information comprises information about activities performed by the user of the first-party online system in the third-party online system.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received information comprises information about comments on the user of the first-party online system, the comments made by the one or more users of the third-party online system in the third-party online system.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the online trustworthiness score comprises:

identifying an update in a user profile associated with the user of the first-party online system in the third-party online system;

determining an amount of time since the update; and

in response to the amount of time not exceeding a threshold amount of time, determining the online trustworthiness score at least based on the amount of time.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the online trustworthiness score comprises:

identifying a plurality of connections of the user of the first-party online system in the third-party online system;

for each of the identified connections;

determining a trustworthiness score, and

determining a weight based on affinity of the identified connection with the user; and

determining the online trustworthiness score of the user based on the trustworthiness score and weight of each of the identified connections.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein data extracted from the static offline information comprise a plurality of entries and wherein determining the offline trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based on the data extracted from the static offline information comprises:

determining a score for each of the plurality of entries based on a type of the entry;

determining a weight for each of the plurality of entries based on a time associated with the entry; and

determining a weighted average of the scores of the plurality of entries.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an updated trustworthiness score in response to a transaction performed by the user of the first-party online system in the first-party online system.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing executable computer program instructions, the computer program instructions comprising instructions that when executed cause a computer processor to:

receive, by a first-party online system from a third-party online system, information about activities performed by one or more users of the third-party online system in the third-party online system, the received information associated with a user of the first-party online system;

determine, by the first-party online system, an online trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based at least on the received information;

obtain static offline information about the user of the first-party online system;

determine an offline trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based on data extracted from the static offline information;

determine a trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based on the online trustworthiness score and the offline trustworthiness score; and

responsive to detecting an attempt by one or more other users to interact with the user of the first-party online system in the first-party online system, provide the trustworthiness score of the user of the first-party online system for display to one or more client devices of the one or more other users.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the received information comprises information about activities performed by the user of the first-party online system in the third-party online system.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the received information comprises information about comments on the user of the first-party online system, the comments made by the one or more users of the third-party online system in the third-party online system.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the computer program instructions for determining the online trustworthiness score comprise instructions that when executed cause the computer processor to:

identify an update in a user profile associated with the user of the first-party online system in the third-party online system;

determine an amount of time since the update; and

in response to the amount of time not exceeding a threshold amount of time, determine the online trustworthiness score at least based on the amount of time.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the computer program instructions for determining the online trustworthiness score comprise instructions that when executed cause the computer processor to:

identify a plurality of connections of the user of the first-party online system in the third-party online system;

for each of the identified connections;

determine a trustworthiness score, and

determine a weight based on affinity of the identified connection with the user; and

determine the online trustworthiness score of the user based on the trustworthiness score and weight of each of the identified connections.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein data extracted from the static offline information comprise a plurality of entries and wherein the computer program instructions for determining the offline trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based on the data extracted from the static offline information comprise instructions that when executed cause the computer processor to:

determine a score for each of the plurality of entries based on a type of the entry;

determine a weight for each of the plurality of entries based on a time associated with the entry; and

determine a weighted average of the scores of the plurality of entries.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, the computer program instructions further comprise instructions that when executed cause the computer processor to:

determine an updated trustworthiness score in response to a transaction performed by the user of the first-party online system in the first-party online system.

15. A computer system comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions, the computer program instructions comprising instructions that when executed cause a computer processor to perform steps comprising;

receiving, by a first-party online system from a third-party online system, information about activities performed by one or more users of the third-party online system in the third-party online system, the received information associated with a user of the first-party online system;

determining, by the first-party online system, an online trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based at least on the received information;

obtaining static offline information about the user of the first-party online system;

determining an offline trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based on data extracted from the static offline information;

determining a trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based on the online trustworthiness score and the offline trustworthiness score; and

responsive to detecting an attempt by one or more other users to interact with the user of the first-party online system in the first-party online system, providing the trustworthiness score of the user of the first-party online system for display to one or more client devices of the one or more other users.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the received information comprises information about activities performed by the user of the first-party online system in the third-party online system.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the received information comprises information about comments on the user of the first-party online system, the comments made by the one or more users of the third-party online system in the third-party online system.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein determining the online trustworthiness score comprises:

identifying an update in a user profile associated with the user of the first-party online system in the third-party online system;

determining an amount of time since the update; and

in response to the amount of time not exceeding a threshold amount of time, determining the online trustworthiness score at least based on the amount of time.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein determining the online trustworthiness score comprises:

identifying a plurality of connections of the user of the first-party online system in the third-party online system;

for each of the identified connections;

determining a trustworthiness score, and

determining a weight based on affinity of the identified connection with the user; and

determining the online trustworthiness score of the user based on the trustworthiness score and weight of each of the identified connections.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein data extracted from the static offline information comprise a plurality of entries and wherein determining the offline trustworthiness score for the user of the first-party online system based on the data extracted from the static offline information comprises:

determining a score for each of the plurality of entries based on a type of the entry;

determining a weight for each of the plurality of entries based on a time associated with the entry; and

determining a weighted average of the scores of the plurality of entries.