Zombie detector and handler mechanism for accounts, apps, and hardware devices

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying user subscriptions that meet at least one criterion of a plurality of criteria for detecting user subscriptions that are no longer active, the user subscriptions comprising online accounts of users or access authorizations of the users to applications to operate on one or more devices;

classifying the user subscriptions having account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive into a first group;

for the user subscriptions in the first group, taking a first action comprising requiring verification or additional information on a future login attempt by the user;

comparing the user subscriptions not having the account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive with data of unavailable users associated with at least one of a deceased user, a user having a stolen, misplaced, or missing account, and a device no longer in the possession of the user;

classifying the compared subscriptions into a second group if there is no match between the data of the unavailable users and the user subscriptions not having the account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive;

for the user subscriptions in the second group, taking a second action comprising restricting automatic actions and viewability, or requiring the user to reauthorize the account prior to further login;

classifying the compared subscriptions into a third group if there is a match between the data of the unavailable users and the user subscriptions not having the account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive; and

for the user subscriptions in the third group, taking a third action comprising one or more of blocking the automatic actions and the viewability by other users, archiving and deleting the user subscription and the applications, disabling the device of the user, sending a notification to contacts of the user, and transferring the account to the contacts of the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the data of unavailable users comprises:

a database of obituary or death notices;

a database of accounts that have been reported as stolen, lost or missing;

a database of devices that have been identified as have been stolen, lost or missing.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein one of the criteria for detecting subscriptions that are no longer active is a duration of inactivity having exceeding a threshold value.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the threshold value for the duration of inactivity is determined based on account identifying information, and the threshold value may be set dynamically.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the account identifying information includes information regarding type of account and type of information stored in account.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the account context information includes:

information regarding the nature of the account;

information regarding the history of access by the user;

information regarding the nature of the online content stored in the account; and

information regarding a season or a time of year.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein computer executable instructions for:

identifying user subscriptions that meet at least one criterion of a plurality of criteria for detecting user subscriptions that are no longer active, the user subscriptions comprising online accounts of users or access authorizations of the users to applications to operate on one or more devices;

classifying the user subscriptions having account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive into a first group;

for the user subscriptions in the first group, taking a first action comprising requiring verification or additional information on a future login attempt by the user;

comparing the user subscriptions not having the account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive with data of unavailable users associated with at least one of a deceased user, a user having a stolen, misplaced, or missing account, and a device no longer in the possession of the user;

classifying the compared subscriptions into a second group if there is no match between the data of the unavailable users and the user subscriptions not having the account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive;

for the user subscriptions in the second group, taking a second action comprising restricting automatic actions and viewability, or requiring the user to reauthorize the account prior to further login;

classifying the compared subscriptions into a third group if there is a match between the data of the unavailable users and the user subscriptions not having the account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive; and

for the user subscriptions in the third group, taking a third action comprising one or more of blocking the automatic actions and the viewability by other users, archiving and deleting the user subscription and the applications, disabling the device of the user, sending a notification to contacts of the user, and transferring the account to the contacts of the user.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the data of unavailable users comprises:

a database of obituary or death notices;

a database of accounts that have been reported as stolen, lost or missing;

a database of devices that have been identified as have been stolen, lost or missing.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7 , wherein one of the criteria for detecting subscriptions that are no longer active is a duration of inactivity having exceeding a threshold value.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the threshold value for the duration of inactivity is determined based on account identifying information, and the threshold value may be set dynamically.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the account identifying information includes information regarding type of account and type of information stored in account.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the account context information includes:

information regarding the nature of the account;

information regarding the history of access by the user;

information regarding the nature of the online content stored in the account; and

information regarding a season or a time of year.

13. At least one computing device comprising storage and a processor configured to perform:

identifying user subscriptions that meet at least one criterion of a plurality of criteria for detecting user subscriptions that are no longer active, the user subscriptions comprising online accounts of users or access authorizations of the users to applications to operate on one or more devices;

classifying the user subscriptions having account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive into a first group;

for the user subscriptions in the first group, taking a first action comprising requiring verification or additional information on a future login attempt by the user;

comparing the user subscriptions not having the account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive with data of unavailable users associated with at least one of a deceased user, a user having a stolen, misplaced, or missing account, and a device no longer in the possession of the user;

classifying the compared subscriptions into a second group if there is no match between the data of the unavailable users and the user subscriptions not having the account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive;

for the user subscriptions in the second group, taking a second action comprising restricting automatic actions and viewability, or requiring the user to reauthorize the account prior to further login;

classifying the compared subscriptions into a third group if there is a match between the data of the unavailable users and the user subscriptions not having the account context information associated with the user subscriptions that are inactive; and

for the user subscriptions in the third group, taking a third action comprising one or more of blocking the automatic actions and the viewability by other users, archiving and deleting the user subscription and the applications, disabling the device of the user, sending a notification to contacts of the user, and transferring the account to the contacts of the user.

14. The at least one computing device of claim 13 , wherein the data of unavailable users comprises:

a database of obituary or death notices;

a database of accounts that have been reported as stolen, lost or missing;

a database of devices that have been identified as have been stolen, lost or missing.

15. The at least one computing device of claim 13 , wherein one of the criteria for detecting subscriptions that are no longer active is a duration of inactivity having exceeding a threshold value.

16. The at least one computing device of claim 15 , wherein the threshold value for the duration of inactivity is determined based on account identifying information, and the threshold value may be set dynamically.

17. The at least one computing device of claim 16 , wherein the account identifying information includes information regarding type of account and type of information stored in account.

18. The at least one computing device of claim 13 , wherein the account context information includes at least one of:

information regarding the nature of the account;

information regarding the history of access by the user;

information regarding the nature of the online content stored in the account; and

information regarding a season or a time of year.

19. The at least one computing device of claim 13 , wherein the at least one computing device is a server configured to identify user subscriptions that meet the at least one criterion, classify the user subscriptions into the first group and the second group and match the user subscriptions of the second group.

20. The at least one computing device of claim 13 , wherein the at least one computing device is a mobile device having at least on app associated with the subscription stored thereon;

wherein the mobile device is configured to monitor user access to the app and detect when the user does not access the app for a period of time exceeding the threshold duration; and

wherein the mobile device is further configured to communicate with a subscription provider that the threshold duration has been exceed when the user does not access the app for the period of time exceeding the threshold duration.