Authorization and Authentication Based on an Individual's Social Network

• US 20120311680A1
• Filed: 08/02/2012
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Christopher Lunt
• Inventors: Lunt, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,100,400 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

In particular embodiments, a method includes accessing a graph structure comprising a plurality of nodes and edges where each node represents a user, receiving a request to transmit content related to a first user to a second user, and prohibiting transmission of the content to the second user if the first user and the second user are connected in the graph structure through a series of edges and nodes that comprises an unauthorized node.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing, by one or more computing devices, a graph structure comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them, the nodes comprising a first-user node corresponding to a first user associated with an online social network and a second-user node corresponding to a second user associated with the online social network;

receiving, by one or more of the computing devices, a request to transmit content relating to the first user to the second user; and

prohibiting, by one or more of the computing devices, transmission of the content to the second user if the first-user node and the second-user node are connected to each other in the graph structure through a series of edges and nodes that comprises an unauthorized node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by one or more of the computing devices, one or more series of edges and nodes connecting the first-user node and the second-user node; and

determining, by one or more of the computing devices, for each series of edges and nodes connecting the first-user node and the second-user node, whether the series comprises an unauthorized node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein all nodes in the graph structure that are separated from the first-user node by more than a threshold degree of separation are unauthorized nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, by one or more of the computing devices, a black list comprising a first set of user IDs of a first set of users;

wherein each node corresponding to a user in the first set of users is an unauthorized node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each node separated by only one degree of separation in the graph structure from at least one node corresponding to a user in the first set of users is an unauthorized node.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein each node separated by a threshold degree of separation in the graph structure from at least one node corresponding to a user in the first set of users is an unauthorized node.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, by one or more of the computing devices, an authorized-users list comprising a second set of user IDs of a second set of users, the nodes corresponding to each of the users in the second set of users being separated in the graph structure from at least one of the nodes corresponding to the users in the first set of users by a threshold degree of separation;

wherein each node corresponding to a user in the second set of users is an unauthorized node.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the authorized-users list is a gray list.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the threshold degree of separation is one, two, three, or all.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the black list is maintained for either for first user or the second user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the content relating to the first user comprises an e-mail communication from the first user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the content relating to the first user comprises profile information of the first user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the content relating to the first user comprises content posted by the first user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authorizing, by one or more of the computing devices, transmission of the content to the second user if the first-user node and the second-user node are connected to each other in the graph structure through a series of edges and nodes that comprises only authorized nodes.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein all nodes in the graph structure that are separated from the first-user node by no more than a threshold degree of separation are authorized nodes.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

accessing, by one or more of the computing devices, a white list comprising a third set of user IDs of a third set of users;

wherein each node corresponding to a user in the third set of users is an authorized node.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more servers having a memory storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by one or more of the processors cause the processors to;

access a graph structure comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them, the nodes comprising a first-user node corresponding to a first user associated with an online social network and a second-user node corresponding to a second user associated with the online social network;

receive a request to transmit content relating to the first user to the second user; and

prohibit transmission of the content to the second user if the first-user node and the second-user node are connected to each other in the graph structure through a series of edges and nodes that comprises an unauthorized node.