IP Library Granted Patent US 9,332,032
Granted Patent B2
US 9,332,032 · App. 13/835,771 · Granted May 3, 2016

Implementing security in a social application

Inventors: Jonathan Dunne (Waterford, IE); Jason Flood (Dublin, IE); Jeffrey B. Sloyer (Cary, NC); Ian D. Stewart (Raleigh, NC)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H04L63/20H04L63/102
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,332,032
App. No.
13/835,771
Granted
May 3, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

Implementing security in social applications includes inferring a closeness level of a connection to a user's profile of a social application based on a closeness policy and implementing a security level individualized to the connection based on the closeness level.

Claims (40)

1. A system for implementing security in social applications, comprising processing resources communicating with hardware memory resources to implement:

an inference engine to infer a closeness level of a connection to a user's profile of a social application based on a closeness policy;

a security implementation engine to implement a security level individualized to said connection based on said closeness level;

a monitoring engine to monitor communications between said user's profile and said connection; and

a threshold determination engine to determine a closeness level threshold where connections are removed from said user's profile in response to falling below said closeness level threshold.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an adjusting engine to adjust said closeness level in response to real time monitoring of said communications.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a removing engine to remove said connection based on a behavior of said connection and said closeness level.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said closeness policy considers a frequency of communication between said connection and said user's profile through said social application, a type of communication between said connection and said user's profile through said social application, subject matter in communications between said connection and said user's profile through said social application, and a classification of said connection in said social application.

5. A computer program product for implementing security in social applications, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, said tangible computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable program code embodied therewith, said computer readable program code comprising program instructions that, when executed, causes a processor to:

infer a closeness level of a relationship between a user and a person listed as a connection in the user's profile of a social application based on a closeness policy, wherein said inferring a closeness level includes categorizing said person into one a number of defined groups based on relationship to said user and assigns a default closeness level for the corresponding group to said relationship between said user and said person;

implement a security level individualized to said person listed as a connection, the security level implemented being determined based on said closeness level;

monitor communications between said user and said person listed as a connection; and

adjust said closeness level in response to real time monitoring of said communications.

6. The computer program product of claim 5 , further comprising computer readable program code comprising program instructions that, when executed, causes said processor to remove said connection based on a behavior of said person and said closeness level.

7. The computer program product of claim 5 , further comprising computer readable program code comprising program instructions that, when executed, causes said processor to adjust said closeness level based on said communications from said connection monitored in real-time.

8. The computer program product of claim 5 , wherein said closeness policy considers a frequency of communication between said person listed as a connection in said user's profile and said user through said social application, a type of said communication, subject matter in said communication, and a classification of said connection in said social application.

9. The computer program product of claim 5 , further comprising computer readable program code comprising program instructions that, when executed, causes said processor to:

implement a higher restrictive security level if said connection has a low closeness level; and

implement a less restrictive security level if said connections has a high closeness level.

10. A system for implementing security in social applications, comprising processing resources communicating with hardware memory resources to implement:

an inference engine to infer a closeness level of a relationship between a user and a person listed as a connection in the user's profile of a social application, said inference engine inferring the closeness level based on a closeness policy;

a security implementation engine to implement a security level individualized to said person listed as a connection, the security level implemented being determined based on said closeness level;

a monitoring engine to monitor communications between said user and said person listed as a connection;

an adjusting engine to adjust said closeness level in response to real time monitoring of said communications;

a removing engine to remove said connection from said user's profile based on a behavior of said person listed as a connection and said closeness level; and

a threshold determination engine to determine a closeness level threshold where connections are removed from said user's profile in response to falling below said closeness level threshold;

wherein said inference engine classifies the person listed as a connection into one of a plurality of groups defined by different relationships to said user, the closeness level assigned to the person being determined based on in which of said plurality of groups the person is classified.

11. A system for implementing security in social applications, comprising processing resources communicating with hardware memory resources to implement:

an inference engine to infer a closeness level of a relationship between a user and a person listed as a connection in the user's profile of a social application, said inference engine inferring the closeness level based on a closeness policy;

a security implementation engine to implement a security level individualized to said person listed as a connection, the security level implemented being determined based on said closeness level; and

a monitoring engine to monitor communications between said user and said person listed as a connection; and

an adjusting engine to adjust said closeness level in response to real time monitoring of said communications.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a removing engine to remove a connection with said person from said user's profile based on a behavior of said person and said closeness level.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein said removing engine imposes a ban on said person from forming a new connection with said user.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein said adjusting engine decreases a security level implemented for said person based on behavior indicative of an increase in said closeness level between said person and said user.

15. The system of clam 11 , wherein said interference engine categorizes said person into one a number of defined groups based on relationship to said user and assigns a default closeness level for the corresponding group to said person.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a display device on which said processing resources display a graphic comprising concentric circles, each representing one of said defined groups with distance from a center of said concentric circles indicating a lower closeness level to said user.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein different closeness levels are assigned to different members of the same group.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the security implementation engine obtains confirmation from said user for the closeness level or security level implemented for said person.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 15, 2013
From: STEWART, IAN D.; FLOOD, JASON; SLOYER, JEFFREY B.; DUNNE, JONATHAN
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 030014/0605 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20140282822A1 · Sep 18, 2014