Authorization and authentication based on an individual's social network

• US 8,800,005 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lunt, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/565,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4
• 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 search query from a first user, identifying content of one or more second users corresponding to the search query, and generating search results comprising all the identified content of second users that are connected to the first user in the graph structure through a series of edges and nodes that does not comprise 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 one or more second-user nodes that each correspond to a second user associated with the online social network;

receiving, by one or more of the computing devices, a search query from the first user;

identifying, by one or more of the computing devices, one or more contents corresponding to the search query, each content relating to a second user; and

generating, by one or more of the computing devices, search results comprising a reference to each identified content relating to a second user corresponding to a second-user node that is connected to the first-user node in the graph structure by a series of nodes and edges that does not comprise a node corresponding to a user on a gray list comprising user IDs of the users who are not authorized to access the identified content relating to the second user, wherein the gray list is based on a black list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

wherein the gray list comprises a second set of user IDs of a second set of users, each of the nodes corresponding to 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 only one degree of separation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

wherein the gray list comprises a second set of user IDs of a second set of users, each of the nodes corresponding to 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.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

filtering, by one or more of the computing devices, from the search results each reference to an identified content relating to a second user corresponding to a second-user node that is connected to the first-user node in the graph structure by a series of edges and nodes that comprises a node corresponding to a user in the first set of users or the second set of users.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the gray list further comprises a third set of user IDs of a third set of users, the nodes corresponding to the users of the third set of users being connected in the graph structure to one or more second-user nodes corresponding to second users related to identified content by a series of edges and nodes that comprises a node corresponding to a user in the first set of users or the second set of users.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the black list is maintained for either the first user or one of the second users.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the gray list comprises a first set of user IDs of a first set of users, the nodes corresponding to the users of the first set of users being connected to either the first-user node or the second-user node in the graph structure through a series of edges and nodes that comprises an unauthorized node.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by one or more of the computing devices, the search results to the first user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by one or more of the computing devices, one or more of the identified contents to the first user.

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

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

12. 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 one or more second-user nodes that each correspond to a second user associated with the online social network;

receive a search query from the first user;

identify one or more contents corresponding to the search query, each content relating to a second user; and

generate search results comprising a reference to each identified content relating to a second user corresponding to a second-user node that is connected to the first-user node in the graph structure by a series of nodes and edges that does not comprise a node corresponding to a user on a gray list comprising user IDs of the users who are not authorized to access the identified content relating to the second user, wherein the gray list is based on a black list.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

access the black list comprising a first set of user IDs of a first set of users;

wherein the gray list comprises a second set of user IDs of a second set of users, each of the nodes corresponding to 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 only one degree of separation.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

access the black list comprising a first set of user IDs of a first set of users;

wherein the gray list comprises a second set of user IDs of a second set of users, each of the nodes corresponding to 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.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

filter from the search results each reference to an identified content relating to a second user corresponding to a second-user node that is connected to the first-user node in the graph structure by a series of edges and nodes that comprises a node corresponding to a user in the first set of users or the second set of users.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the gray list further comprises a third set of user IDs of a third set of users, the nodes corresponding to the users of the third set of users being connected in the graph structure to one or more second-user nodes corresponding to second users related to identified content by a series of edges and nodes that comprises a node corresponding to a user in the first set of users or the second set of users.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the black list is maintained for either the first user or one of the second users.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the gray list comprises a first set of user IDs of a first set of users, the nodes corresponding to the users of the first set of users being connected to either the first-user node or the second-user node in the graph structure through a series of edges and nodes that comprises an unauthorized node.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

transmit the search results to the first user.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

transmit one or more of the identified contents to the first user.